Manchester Art Gallery On-Line Sampler and Jacket Collection

For those of you who are not able to join the fabulous Jacket Tour of the UK, Manchester Art Gallery has some rather lovely examples you can enjoy looking at on-line - and some samplers for good measure, too. This spendid example is from 1661. It has the well known extract ending with Learning is most excellent and you can see from here the reversal of stitched s. It is thought to have been stitched by Mary Tradenham who later married the second baronet Filmer, which gives some idea of her status. There is also a whitework sampler in the collection stitched by Mary.

This superb jacket of 1610-1620 stitched on linen and edged with metallic Van Dyck lace is simply stunning with its scrolling vine design.
This black work jacket intrigues me - there is much here that recalls Persian Resht designs, not least the working of alternating designs on the diagonals. Dated 1600-1625 the period matches a great interest in Persian culture - the Persians were considered European allies against Turkish expansionism. I wonder....
Not strictly a jacket, but a rather beautiful bodice for domestic wear which I covet greatly, I just know I would look good and graceful in it. It is dated to between 1625 and 1640. If you would like to explore the Manchester Art Gallery Collections, just click here.