Deel van een geborduurd keukengordijn before 1874

This is a photograph of "Part of an embroidered kitchen curtain" by Isabel Agnes Cowper, taken at an unspecified date. Cowper was active in the 19th century during a period of immense social change, particularly for women. The image depicts a section of needlework, a craft historically associated with women and domesticity. During Cowper's time, women's creativity was often confined to the domestic sphere; needlework allowed for artistic expression within the bounds of societal expectations. The geometric and floral motifs suggest the influence of both traditional English design and perhaps exposure to global patterns through the expansion of the British Empire. Consider the hours of labor that went into such a piece, and what stories the sewer might be telling themselves as they create.