Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood is probably the world’s leading authority on the history of embroidery. She edited the multi-volume Encyclopedia of Embroidery, which is the definitive reference work on the subject. Her new book The Atlas of World Embroidery: A Global Exploration of Heritage and Styles features “a selection of the main forms of embroidery from around the world,” and it’s an international survey of embroidery traditions rather than a comprehensive history.
The Atlas of World Embroidery is beautifully illustrated with historical and contemporary examples. It also has a classified bibliography. In her introduction, Vogelsang-Eastwood writes: “as well as providing a global story of embroidery, I hope this book helps to illustrate the long and diverse history of this craft.” The book certainly achieves this, and it also serves as a guide to traditional clothing and accessories from around the world. (The Worldwide History of Dress, by Patricia Rieff Anawalt, covers this subject in more detail.)
The Atlas of World Embroidery features a wide variety of embroidery styles, techniques, and materials. These include Mexican and Guatemalan randa seams, Panamanian molas panels, Chilean arpillera panels, Italian lacis and filet net embroidery, North African tulle-bi-telli metallic embroidery, Moroccan terz del ghorza stitchwork, Israeli shughu beit Lahem embroidery, Jordanian rekme embroidery, Turkish hesap işi counted-thread work and oya lacework, Persian khusdozi metal-thread embroidery, Afghan khamak counted-thread work, Kashmiri sozni shawl embroidery, zardozi metal-thread embroidery and ari chain stitching from India, Indian kathipa and chikankari embroidery, Pakistani phulkari and suf counted-thread work and pakkoh embroidery, Hmong paj ntaub and pictorial paj ntaub tshiab embroidery, Japanese moyozashi and hitomezashi patterns of sashiko darning, higashi-kogin and nishi-kogin patterns of Japanese kogin-zashi quilting, Burmese shwe gyi do gold-thread embroidery, Philippine calado whitework, Sumatran kasab gold-thread embroidery, and Indonesian kerawang drawn-thread work.
The Atlas of World Embroidery is beautifully illustrated with historical and contemporary examples. It also has a classified bibliography. In her introduction, Vogelsang-Eastwood writes: “as well as providing a global story of embroidery, I hope this book helps to illustrate the long and diverse history of this craft.” The book certainly achieves this, and it also serves as a guide to traditional clothing and accessories from around the world. (The Worldwide History of Dress, by Patricia Rieff Anawalt, covers this subject in more detail.)
The Atlas of World Embroidery features a wide variety of embroidery styles, techniques, and materials. These include Mexican and Guatemalan randa seams, Panamanian molas panels, Chilean arpillera panels, Italian lacis and filet net embroidery, North African tulle-bi-telli metallic embroidery, Moroccan terz del ghorza stitchwork, Israeli shughu beit Lahem embroidery, Jordanian rekme embroidery, Turkish hesap işi counted-thread work and oya lacework, Persian khusdozi metal-thread embroidery, Afghan khamak counted-thread work, Kashmiri sozni shawl embroidery, zardozi metal-thread embroidery and ari chain stitching from India, Indian kathipa and chikankari embroidery, Pakistani phulkari and suf counted-thread work and pakkoh embroidery, Hmong paj ntaub and pictorial paj ntaub tshiab embroidery, Japanese moyozashi and hitomezashi patterns of sashiko darning, higashi-kogin and nishi-kogin patterns of Japanese kogin-zashi quilting, Burmese shwe gyi do gold-thread embroidery, Philippine calado whitework, Sumatran kasab gold-thread embroidery, and Indonesian kerawang drawn-thread work.
The only previous books with global coverage of embroidery history were both written by Mary Gostelow around fifty years ago. Gostelow’s A World of Embroidery was a country-by-country history, followed by the similar Embroidery: Traditional Designs, Techniques and Patterns from All Over the World, which had more colour illustrations. (Embroidery was reprinted in the US as The Complete International Book of Embroidery.)
Needlework Through the Ages, by Mary Symonds and Louisa Preece, was the first comprehensive history of needlework (of which embroidery is one type), published almost a century ago. It was followed fifty years later by Needlework: An Illustrated History, edited by Harriet Bridgeman and Elizabeth Drury, which covers needlework in Europe, Russia, and America.
Needlework Through the Ages, by Mary Symonds and Louisa Preece, was the first comprehensive history of needlework (of which embroidery is one type), published almost a century ago. It was followed fifty years later by Needlework: An Illustrated History, edited by Harriet Bridgeman and Elizabeth Drury, which covers needlework in Europe, Russia, and America.