ert Museum is one
of the burning questions of the hour among the cultured collectors of
the day. The custodians are supposed to be men of special insight in the
branches over which they preside, yet for all the advantage to the
public they might as well be waxwork dummies. What we want as a nation
is "culture while we wait," and writ so large that those who run may
read, and until this consummation is attained we shall ever remain in
the Slough of Despond, and Art for Art's sake will continue dead.

XIII

EMBROIDERY IN "COSTUME"

XIII

EMBROIDERY IN "COSTUME"

Early Greek garments--Biblical references to
embroidery--Ecclesiastical garments--Eighteenth-century
dresses, coats, and waistcoats--Muslin embroideries.

The subject of Costume has been most admirably treated in another volume
of this series, but a reference must be made to it as affecting our
topic, English Embroidery, as costume has played no little part in its
history.

From the earliest ages embroidery has been used to decorate garments.
The ancient Greeks embroidered the hems of their graceful draperies in
the well-known Greek fret and other designs so invariably seen on the
old Greek vases. The legend that Minerva herself taught the Greeks the
art of embroidery illustrates how deeply the art was understood; and the
pretty story told by an old botanist of how the foxglove came by its
name and its curious bell-like flowers is worth repeating. In the old
Greek days, when gods and goddesses were regarded as having the
attributes of humanity in addition to those of deities, Juno was one
day amusing herself with making tapestry, and, after the manner of the
people, put a thimble on her finger. Jupiter, "playing the rogue with
her," took her thimble and threw it away, and down it dropped to the
earth. The goddess was very wroth, and in order to pacify her Jupiter
turned the thimble into a flower, which now is known as Digitalis, or
finger-stole.

This little fairy tale can scarcely be taken as proof conclusive of the
existence of either needle tapestry or thimble use, but its telling may
amuse the reader.

In all ancient histories we find continuous references to the
embroidered garment worn by its people. It was well recognised that no
material was sufficiently beautiful not to be further embellished with
rich embroideries. In the Psalms we find that "Pharaoh's daughter shall
be brought to the king in a raiment of needlew