Girlhood samplers are often viewed as implements of obsequious isolation for women throughout history. At the same time, however, they remain a lasting and rare record of women’s experiences to fill the void of written history from such marginalized populations. I modeled this work upon a sample worked by Elizabeth Derby in Salem, Massachusetts in 1774. Derby became a rare divorcee in 1806 after widely publicized and bitter trial. Her story is an especially rare one of upheaval and a bittersweet independence following the —now somewhat ironic—symbol her sampler attests to.
I created this work in order to reflect upon and capture the fundamental changes that have and are occurring within our society in regards to gender and identity politics. After being steeped in the motifs of traditional girlhood samplers throughout graduate school in New England, the art form became more and more of a tempting medium for addressing complex ideas about the expected vs. real ideals and nature ascribed to womanhood from past to present. Further reading: https://khgarts.com/blog/female-inheritance/