Face screens
Object name
Date made
Circa 1860s
Place made
Description
Circa 1860s pair of face screens involving Berlin wool work, beadwork, and plushwork.
Content description
Two matching face screens made in the 1860s, covered in Berlin wool work, beadwork, and plushwork. A central group of plushwork pansies, violets, and roses sits on a background of tent stitched background and leaves, surrounded by more leaves and beadwork grapes and vines. This pair of face screens would have been attached to handles or stands and used to protect a person's face and makeup from the warmth of an open fire.
Berlin wool work like this would have been produced from a printed and coloured chart that could then be followed at home, enabling amateur embroiderers to easily produce vibrant embroidery. Some embroiderers added beads to their embroidery, such as in this example. Plushwork was a popular addition to Berlin wool work, as seen here. This was created using looping stitches called Turkey rug knots or Turkey rug stitches, which were then cut into a pile to make a fuzzy, three-dimensional surface.
Berlin wool work like this would have been produced from a printed and coloured chart that could then be followed at home, enabling amateur embroiderers to easily produce vibrant embroidery. Some embroiderers added beads to their embroidery, such as in this example. Plushwork was a popular addition to Berlin wool work, as seen here. This was created using looping stitches called Turkey rug knots or Turkey rug stitches, which were then cut into a pile to make a fuzzy, three-dimensional surface.
Dimensions
width: 18.5cm
height: 21.5cm
width: 46.6cm
height: 36.5cm
height: 21.5cm
width: 46.6cm
height: 36.5cm
Materials
Stitches
Techniques
Motifs
Catalogue number
COL.54
Other numbers
RSN 770
© Royal School of Needlework