European Reproduction Samplers

Goes 1896

original reproduction worked by Brigitte Brandenburg

Photos © Historisch Museum De Bevelanden and Brigitte Brandenburg

What remains!? A beautiful, colourful and varied darning sampler, a name, a place, a year!

Maatje Lena de Kam, born on 13 February 1880, was 16 years old when she signed her "Doorstoplappen". She was one of 18 children of a farmhand family from Wissenkerke (Noord-Beveland). On 15 July 1903, she married the merchant Hendrik Hollestelle from Goes. The couple had three children – a son and two daughters. Maatje Lena died in Middelburg on October 1st, 1921.

I would like to thank the curator of the museum in Goes, Nel van Leijen, with all my heart who allowed me to study personally the sampler in summer 2010. She gathered information for me and corrected my colour selection.

Maatje’s darning sampler is owned by the Historical Museum De Bevelanden. The inventory number is HMDB 8142. The original sampler is 43 cm high and 32 cm wide. It was worked on coarse fabric with wool and trimmed with hemstitching. It was presented to the public in various exhibitions – a wonderful result of school lessons.