Picture

Title

The Rose of England

Object name

Maker

Date made

1904

Place made

Description

Embroidered picture of The Rose of England, worked by Rosina Smith in 1904.

Content description

A picture of an embroidered stem of a rose with bud and leaves, worked by Rosina Smith in 1904. The rose is embroidered using silk thread on a background of fawn moire silk. This silk shaded picture is worked in long and short stitch in various shades of pinks, greens, and creams. Some of the stems of the leaves are embroidered using stem stitch.

A hand written note on the back states:
'The Rose of England
Worked by Miss Rosina Smith, late of Peter Robinson's (Oxford Circus Drapery/Department Store) London. Her parting gift to Alice Mullins on her departure from England to settle in New Zealand Nov. 1904.
Miss Smith had the honour to embroider the gifts given by their Majesties to Westminster Abbey on the occasion of their wedding (George V)
To my son Frank with my fond love
Xmas 1933'.

Rosina Smith was an employee at the Royal School of Art Needlework. During her time at the school she worked on the coronation robes of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. Her jar of memories, consisting of offcuts from those robes, is also in the RSN Collection (COL.2011.87). Peter Robinson's, mentioned in the letter on the back of the embroidery, was a department store that specialised in women's clothing and accessories.

Dimensions

width: 10.5cm
height: 17cm

Materials

Stitches

Techniques

Motifs

Credit line

Gift of Fiona Michel, November 2024

Catalogue number

RSN.2024.3036
© Royal School of Needlework