Originally worked as records of stitches, patterns, and motifs, sampler making became a skill expected of educated young ladies. For almost a decade, the Tennessee Sampler Survey team of Jennifer Core and Janet Hasson have been documenting Tennessee samplers made prior to 1900. In their lecture they will talk about the findings of the project, regional characteristics they have observed, and highlight some of the individual samplers.
Jennifer C. Core is the co-founder of the Tennessee Sampler Survey and is the director of programs and membership at the Tennessee Historical Society. Janet S. Hasson is a former curator of Belle Meade Plantation in Nashville and the director of the Tennessee Sampler Survey. The lecture is held in conjunction with the Tennessee Sampler Survey exhibition on display at the History Center July 6-29, 2012.