UT Press publishes “Tennessee Samplers: Female Education and Domestic Arts, 1800–1900” by Jennifer C. Core and Janet S. Hasson

The University of Tennessee Press has published Tennessee Samplers: Female Education and Domestic Arts, 1800–1900 by Jennifer C. Core and Janet S. Hasson. Released on July 1, it is now available in hardcover and ebook formats.

Embroidery samplers, which are generally practice pieces made in first attempts at a new technique, style, or material, can tell historians much about the stitcher. These unique pieces of personal history can yield insights into religious background, family history, social status, education level, and even region of origin. 

In their new book, Tennessee Samplers: Female Education and Domestic Arts, 1800–1900, Jennifer Core and Janet Hasson provide readers with vivid descriptions of the art form, styles, materials used, and historical context.  It also gives a snapshot of daily life for girls and young women in Tennessee during the nineteenth century. The book includes over 500 high quality images of the samplers themselves,

In this comprehensive volume, Core and Hasson use the samplers as a valuable primary source. When paired with oral histories of the embroiderers’ descendants, family Bibles, diaries, scrapbooks, and cemetery records, it gives a more complete picture of domestic life and female education of the time. Using the samplers as a jumping off point, the authors can identify which of the three major regions of Tennessee was the source of the work. 

Revealing the lives of girls and young women during a time when little was recorded about them, Core and Hasson are able to build upon the research and histories of sampler collections from across America, affirming the importance of this ground-breaking scholarly text. “This extensive study, nearly twenty years in the making, is a major contribution to the understanding of American textile material culture,” says Candace J. Adelson, Emeritus Senior Curator of Fashion and Textiles at the Tennessee State Museum.

Tennessee Samplers: Female Education and Domestic Arts, 1800-1900 is available for purchase at utpress.org and wherever books are sold.

To connect with the author, review copies, or for course adoption information, please contact Stephanie Phillips, publicity and promotion coordinator for UT Press (sphill36@utk.edu or 865-974-6106).

The University of Tennessee Press is the Volunteer State’s book publisher, committed to preserving and promoting the rich cultural and intellectual heritage of Tennessee and the region. Through its focused publishing program, UT Press strives to deepen appreciation for the communities, ecosystems, and histories that make the state unique. Its mission is to enlighten readers, foster cultural dialogue, and improve the quality of life for the people of Tennessee and around the world. UT Press is a division of the University of Tennessee Libraries. For more information, visit www.utpress.org.