Berlin wool work
Encyclopedia
Berlin wool work is a style of needlepoint
. Typically it is executed with wool
yarn on canvas
. It is usually worked in a single stitch, such as cross stitch
or tent stitch
although Beeton's book of Needlework (1870) describes 15 different stitches for use in Berlin work. It was traditionally executed in many colours and hue
s, producing intricate three-dimensional
looks by careful shading. The design of such embroidery was made possible by the great progresses made in dye
ing in the 1830s.
This kind of work produced very durable and long-lived pieces of embroidery that could be used as furniture
covers, cushions, bags, or even on clothing
.
, Germany
, early in the 19th century. The first Berlin wool patterns were printed in black and white on paper and then hand-coloured. The stitcher was expected to draw the outlines on the canvas and then stitch following the colours on the pattern. But soon it became usual to publish counting patterns on charted paper, similar to modern cross-stitch
patterns. This made it easier to execute these patterns, because there was no need for translating the patterns into actual wool colours by the stitchers themselves. They were published as single sheets mostly, which made them affordable for the masses.
Soon they were exported to Britain
and the USA, where "Berlin work" became a craze. Indeed, Berlin work became practically synonymous with canvas work.
In Britain, Berlin work received a further boost through the Great Exhibition of 1851, and by the advent of ladies' magazines such as The Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine
.
The popularity of Berlin work was due largely to the fact that, for the first time in history, a fairly large number of women had leisure time to devote to needlework
.
Subjects to be embroidered were influenced by Victorian
Romanticism
and included floral designs, Victorian paintings, biblical
or allegorical
motif
s, and quotations such as "Home Sweet Home" or "Faith, Hope, Love".
In the 1850s to 1870s, the demand for Berlin wool work decreased dramatically, largely because the taste of the populace had changed, and the publishers failed to accommodate Berlin work to new tastes. Other, less opulent styles of embroidery became more popular, such as the art needlework
advocated by William Morris
and his Arts and Crafts movement
.
Needlepoint
Needlepoint is a form of counted thread embroidery in which yarn is stitched through a stiff open weave canvas. Most needlepoint designs completely cover the canvas...
. Typically it is executed with wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
yarn on canvas
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
. It is usually worked in a single stitch, such as cross stitch
Cross stitches
Cross stitches in embroidery, needlepoint, and other forms of needlework include a number of related stitches in which the thread is sewn in an x or + shape...
or tent stitch
Tent stitch
Tent stitch is a small, diagonal embroidery stitch that crosses over the intersection of one horizontal and one vertical thread of needlepoint canvas forming a slanted stitch at a 45-degree angle. It is also known as Needlepoint stitch and is one of the most basic and versatile stitches used in...
although Beeton's book of Needlework (1870) describes 15 different stitches for use in Berlin work. It was traditionally executed in many colours and hue
Hue
Hue is one of the main properties of a color, defined technically , as "the degree to which a stimulus can be describedas similar to or different from stimuli that are described as red, green, blue, and yellow,"...
s, producing intricate three-dimensional
Dimension
In physics and mathematics, the dimension of a space or object is informally defined as the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify any point within it. Thus a line has a dimension of one because only one coordinate is needed to specify a point on it...
looks by careful shading. The design of such embroidery was made possible by the great progresses made in dye
Dye
A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
ing in the 1830s.
This kind of work produced very durable and long-lived pieces of embroidery that could be used as furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
covers, cushions, bags, or even on clothing
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
.
History
Berlin wool work patterns in colour were first published in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, early in the 19th century. The first Berlin wool patterns were printed in black and white on paper and then hand-coloured. The stitcher was expected to draw the outlines on the canvas and then stitch following the colours on the pattern. But soon it became usual to publish counting patterns on charted paper, similar to modern cross-stitch
Cross-stitch
Cross-stitch is a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches in a tiled, raster-like pattern are used to form a picture. Cross-stitch is often executed on easily countable evenweave fabric called aida cloth. The stitcher counts the threads in each direction so that the...
patterns. This made it easier to execute these patterns, because there was no need for translating the patterns into actual wool colours by the stitchers themselves. They were published as single sheets mostly, which made them affordable for the masses.
Soon they were exported to Britain
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
and the USA, where "Berlin work" became a craze. Indeed, Berlin work became practically synonymous with canvas work.
In Britain, Berlin work received a further boost through the Great Exhibition of 1851, and by the advent of ladies' magazines such as The Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine
The Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine
The Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine was a magazine published by Samuel Orchart Beeton from 1852 to 1879, with a supplement written by his wife Mrs Beeton between 1859 and 1861: these supplements were later collected as her Book of Household Management. His intention was that it should "tend to...
.
The popularity of Berlin work was due largely to the fact that, for the first time in history, a fairly large number of women had leisure time to devote to needlework
Needlework
Needlework is a broad term for the handicrafts of decorative sewing and textile arts. Anything that uses a needle for construction can be called needlework...
.
Subjects to be embroidered were influenced by Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
Romanticism
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
and included floral designs, Victorian paintings, biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
or allegorical
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
motif
Motif (art)
In art, a motif is an element of a pattern, an image or part of one, or a theme. A motif may be repeated in a design or composition, often many times, or may just occur once in a work. A motif may be an element in the iconography of a particular subject or type of subject that is seen in other...
s, and quotations such as "Home Sweet Home" or "Faith, Hope, Love".
In the 1850s to 1870s, the demand for Berlin wool work decreased dramatically, largely because the taste of the populace had changed, and the publishers failed to accommodate Berlin work to new tastes. Other, less opulent styles of embroidery became more popular, such as the art needlework
Art needlework
Art needlework was a type of surface embroidery popular in the later nineteenth century under the influence of the Pre-Raphaelites and the Arts and Crafts Movement....
advocated by William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
and his Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
.
Berlin wool work today
Original charted Berlin wool work patterns remain available in a number of books and Berlin wool work designs remain popular in trammed needlepoint canvases and printed canvas needlepoint kits.External links
- Berlin Work by Pat Berman, a technical history at the American Needlepoint Guild site.