Sampler c. 1937

This needlework sampler was completed in 1844 by Susanna Lawton, using thread on fabric. It is what I would call a primitive painting; the maker's hand is clearly evident. Just look at the woman in the blue dress, her sheep and the house to the right of the image. Each X of thread is like a pixel, forming a pattern like a low-resolution jpeg. This isn’t a slick photorealism; it’s more about an authentic, hand-made feel. The texture is right there, in your face. There is so much that I don't understand, like the row of birds along the roof of the house. The ambiguity in the work is very compelling, because it shows how art is an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, without necessarily having fixed meanings.