needle arts piece together Portsmouth’s past

Magazines will tell you that clothes say something about you. It seems, though, that textiles from the past have whole stories to tell about the people who made and wore them.

There are more than 2,000 textiles in the Strawbery Banke Museum collection, and the ones with family stories tend to be the most compelling. About 30 of those pieces are on display through April 18 in the Randall Gallery of the Portsmouth Athenaeum during an exhibit called “Through the Eye of the Needle: Sewing Stories and Family Stories.”

Needlework is often underappreciated among fine arts and crafts, yet the tangible and familiar textiles have a way of conjuring up emotions and memories. Many of the items now on view have never been publicly displayed before, and they reveal an intimate portrait of Portsmouth’s past.

Rather than show the best side of the garments, some are inside-out to show the work that went behind them. Clothes were patched as needed and let out as children grew. A mother’s dress was cut and sewn again to fit her daughter. Different types of stitches reveal intentions. Some are for ornament, while others are necessary to the construction, and the hasty ones were quick alterations.

The underside of a quilt, with hundreds of tiny fabric hexagons sewn together, reveals handwritten notes and advertisements that were used to stiffen the material. Two crazy quilts on display are worthy attention getters. They are in excellent condition, though made in the mid to late 1800s.

One quilt in dark, rich colors is not only striking for its random piecing together of shapes, but also for its deliberate shapes, such as a horseshoe, and embroidery that includes a heart with an arrow through it. The pieces are sewn together with different stitches, looking like the edges of snowflakes, a vine or lightning.  

Even the practical pieces and wardrobe staples show a sense of style and thought to fashion. The detailed crewel work on the toes of a pair of women’s shoes and handbag are examples of this. Children’s clothes were carefully designed and decorated, even though they would be quickly outgrown and handed down. A white cotton dress has an elaborate Vandyke design, a decorative border of zigzags similar to the effect of pinking shears or rickrack.

It’s surprising to see how small clothes used to be—almost impossibly small. A woman’s dress in plaid, silk taffeta has the tiniest waist and wrists, but a full skirt and puffy shoulders, creating a disproportionate silhouette that was popular at the time.   

Of local interest is a handmade shirt dating back to 1838 that was worn by Thomas Bailey Aldrich, author of “The Story of a Bad Boy.” Those who have heard his autobiographical childhood stories can picture him more clearly after seeing the clothes. Also, a white, ruffled collar shirt, from the same year and stained by age, was made by a 12-year-girl for her father, while she was living in the old Langdon House.

The sewing skill that girls had 170 years ago is remarkable. They learned and practiced stitches with samplers, and several of these are on display. Typical patterns list the alphabet and numbers, but many girls expressed their own creativity and individuality by adding images from their lives, such as the Federal-Era Portsmouth homes in one. These are signed and dated by girls from ages roughly 7 through 13.  

Overall, there is a feminine feel to this exhibit. Not all the textiles were made for women, but most seem to have been made by them. While a modern woman shuns stereotypical women’s work, she may also yearn for what has almost become a lost art. This exhibit should interest both men and women in the current craft movement as an inspiration for new creations and a chance to analyze traditional techniques up close.

The exhibit is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Randall Gallery through April 18. It will reopen May 1 in the Rowland Gallery at Strawbery Banke Museum. On Saturday, April 11, there will be a gallery talk with Kimberly Alexander, chief curator of Strawbery Banke, at 11 a.m.
The Portsmouth Athenaeum is located at 6-8 Market Square, Portsmouth. For more information, visit www.portsmouthathenaeum.org.