Needlework
Bethlehem’s Moravian Seminary for Young Ladies was the first widely acclaimed girls’ boarding school in the country. Unlike most other schools for young women, Moravian schools offered a broad academic curriculum, in addition to the traditional emphasis on what were considered the "ornamental branches" of female education. Among the numerous subjects taught at the school were arithmetic, botany, drawing, French, music, needlework, painting, reading, and writing.
Mastery of the needle was considered not only useful, but also an acceptable means of artistic expression for women. Even girls unable to afford formal schooling were expected to work a sampler. This exercise in plain sewing allowed them to learn the stitches they would need to mark the clothing and linens in their future household.
The girls educated at the Seminary often went beyond plain sewing to produce wonderful pieces of ornamental needlework. The fancy sewing created at Moravian schools developed a unique look and style as teachers, who created the patterns and oversaw the students work, often shared patterns with fellow teachers through travel or letters.
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Text provided courtesy of Barbara L. Schafer and Meg Sharp Walton of the Historic Bethlehem Partnership.
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