DOI Heft:
No. 370 (January 1924)
DOI Artikel:Rayner, E. Ruth: The Embroiderers' Guild Exhibition
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21399#0035
THE EMBROIDERERS’ GUILD
EXHIBITION. BY E. RUTH RAYNER.
THE Embroiderers' Guild held its first
important Exhibition in the Walker
Gallery, Bond Street, during the first
fortnight in November. About 200 exhibits
were on view, practically all the work
of living persons. Included among these
were loans of modern work from ten
foreign countries, and some beautiful
white work lent by H.M. the Queen, 0
The history of needlecraft holds a
prominent place in the art record of
England, and I do not count myself
among those pessimists who think that
with the passing of the eighteenth century
artistic expression in this great national
art vanished. I believe it will survive even
the vicissitudes of the late antimacassar
and woolwork mat stage, and emerge
triumphantly into another “ Period ” some
time within this century. 000
Two aspects of the Exhibition seem to
me to support this belief. Firstly, the obvi-
ous fact that quite a considerable amount of
needlework of fine quality is being done
by women in this country, this despite the
fact that women as a rule do not have
“ homes ” nowadays—only places where
they store their furniture and occasionally
sleep. Secondly, although the bulk of
the work shown is very dull owing to lack
of inspiration and laborious attempts to
copy, or adapt, what was better done
several hundred years ago—still the encour-
aging fact emerges that only a very small
proportion of the work shown deserves
to be called really bad. 00a
More important still, some half-dozen
at least of the exhibits stand out and
remain in one’s memory as works of
creative art. Love of the beautiful has in-
spired the workers, who evidently delight
in this difficult and ancient medium of
expression. 00000
Embroidery must be judged with all
the other arts by the value of what it has to
express. Can it be urged too often or too
strongly that those who have nothing to
say should leave it unsaid ! If this were kept
in mind and acted upon, what a lot of art
needlework we would be spared ! 0
I must remark here that while the
excellent work which is being done in our
technical schools and colleges throughout
the country in the teaching of technique
and principles of design to students of
embroidery must be appreciated I believe
in many cases the sampler has become a
fetish instead of a useful exercise. It has
become an end in itself instead of a means
to an end. The unfortunate victim who is
trained for three or four years on sampler
after sampler of minute stitching is apt,
at the end of the time, to resemble the
subject of the enthusiastic surgeon's
remark : “ The operation was most suc-
cessful, but unfortunately the patient
died.” The student may emerge per-
fectly equipped for her craft, but the work
that has only “ bones ” and no spirit has
STANDARD PRESENTED TO H.R.H. PRINCESS
MARY BY THE GIRL GUIDES OF NORFOLK
DESIGNED BY GEOFFREY WEBB
(Photo, D. Scott, 70 Fulham Road, S.W. 3)
17
EXHIBITION. BY E. RUTH RAYNER.
THE Embroiderers' Guild held its first
important Exhibition in the Walker
Gallery, Bond Street, during the first
fortnight in November. About 200 exhibits
were on view, practically all the work
of living persons. Included among these
were loans of modern work from ten
foreign countries, and some beautiful
white work lent by H.M. the Queen, 0
The history of needlecraft holds a
prominent place in the art record of
England, and I do not count myself
among those pessimists who think that
with the passing of the eighteenth century
artistic expression in this great national
art vanished. I believe it will survive even
the vicissitudes of the late antimacassar
and woolwork mat stage, and emerge
triumphantly into another “ Period ” some
time within this century. 000
Two aspects of the Exhibition seem to
me to support this belief. Firstly, the obvi-
ous fact that quite a considerable amount of
needlework of fine quality is being done
by women in this country, this despite the
fact that women as a rule do not have
“ homes ” nowadays—only places where
they store their furniture and occasionally
sleep. Secondly, although the bulk of
the work shown is very dull owing to lack
of inspiration and laborious attempts to
copy, or adapt, what was better done
several hundred years ago—still the encour-
aging fact emerges that only a very small
proportion of the work shown deserves
to be called really bad. 00a
More important still, some half-dozen
at least of the exhibits stand out and
remain in one’s memory as works of
creative art. Love of the beautiful has in-
spired the workers, who evidently delight
in this difficult and ancient medium of
expression. 00000
Embroidery must be judged with all
the other arts by the value of what it has to
express. Can it be urged too often or too
strongly that those who have nothing to
say should leave it unsaid ! If this were kept
in mind and acted upon, what a lot of art
needlework we would be spared ! 0
I must remark here that while the
excellent work which is being done in our
technical schools and colleges throughout
the country in the teaching of technique
and principles of design to students of
embroidery must be appreciated I believe
in many cases the sampler has become a
fetish instead of a useful exercise. It has
become an end in itself instead of a means
to an end. The unfortunate victim who is
trained for three or four years on sampler
after sampler of minute stitching is apt,
at the end of the time, to resemble the
subject of the enthusiastic surgeon's
remark : “ The operation was most suc-
cessful, but unfortunately the patient
died.” The student may emerge per-
fectly equipped for her craft, but the work
that has only “ bones ” and no spirit has
STANDARD PRESENTED TO H.R.H. PRINCESS
MARY BY THE GIRL GUIDES OF NORFOLK
DESIGNED BY GEOFFREY WEBB
(Photo, D. Scott, 70 Fulham Road, S.W. 3)
17