Mourning Embroidery

(music)

[Woman's Voice] Embroidery is beautiful. Not only for what you see, but for all you don't.

From the back, it's a messy map, absolute chaos, all switchbacks and starts, knots upon knots, pulled with teeth and pricked fingers. Each one a prayer on a string.

[Narrator] Embroidery -- the art of decorating fabric with needle, thread or yarn, often goes beyond decoration. Each stitch can carry intent, memories and sometimes even a hidden story. In American history, these threads appear on clothing, flags and everyday objects, quietly recording the lives and values of those who made them.

George Washington was such a pivotal figure in the nation's fight for freedom that his death in 1799 brought deep grief to the country.

That sorrow gave rise to expressive works of art called Mourning Embroidery, which were quickly adapted to honor not only national heroes but also loved ones.

There were recurring images in these embroidered pictures, usually set in a garden landscape. They had urns or graves, trees such as willows and mourners, often someone weeping.

[Jodi Evans, Registrar State Historical Society of Iowa ] Young women working in academies at that time were taught the many embroidery stitches needed to complete these pictures. It was part of their curriculum. These skills were the used to honor deceased family members and that tradition has carried on for 250 years.

[Narrator] Evidence of that Revolution Era artwork can be found right here in Iowa.

[Evans] The piece is approximately 19 by 22 inches. It is silk embroidery thread on silk. Most of the picture is embroidered except for the sky, which is blue, and that is painted on the silk with watercolor. It depicts a young woman weeping at the gravestone of her parents, Caleb and Isabelle May. In the background is a weeping willow tree. 

The Caleb May honored in this piece was 18 years old in 1776 in Connecticut. So, he and his family would have experienced the Revolution firsthand.

[Narrator] Donated to the State Historical Society of Iowa in 1971, this artifact tells a story not only of grief and loss, but also a family who came to settle here in our state.

[Evans] This mourning embroidery was made possibly by one of the daughters of Caleb and Isabelle May who are honored in this piece. Their descendants, also named Caleb May, came to Iowa in 1864 settling in the Cedar Falls area where he was elected Justice of the Peace. So, it was carried from Connecticut to Iowa by the Caleb May family. Because it was still tacked to its frame, possibly was displayed in the house, but I can't be sure.

[Narrator] The grieving process is highly personal. Yet throughout history, societal norms and cultural traditions have helped guide us.

[Evans] In the 19th century, mourning was a very elaborate and protracted experience. Women, particularly the widows, were expected to wear a full black, gray and then a dusty lavender to signify the length of time after the passing of their husbands. Activities were curtailed. 

There were places that women could and could not go when they were in mourning. That has all fallen by the wayside. Nowadays we still have funerals, we still have wakes, we still have committal services, but the public show of mourning has been curtailed greatly. 

As the influence of religious institutions has waned in this country, grieving has become more of a private enterprise than a public showing. More and more people nowadays are embracing celebratory forms of mourning, some of them based on different cultures and some of them just a change in the way people think about mourning.

[Narrator] Memorializing the dead through mourning embroidery and other creative artwork carries a unique healing power. These objects keep the memory of loved ones alive, and when preserved they offer future generations a window into the lives of those who crafted them and the times they lived in.

[Evans] This mourning embroidery tells the story of grief, honor and a celebration of life known by people who experienced the revolution firsthand.