o blue could be, and were, very effectively used, and it
is worthy of note that it repeated the simple contrasts of the Canton
china or the "blue Canton" which were the prized gifts brought to their
families by the returning New England seamen in the profitable "India
trade," which soon became a commercial fact.

"Blue-and-white" had at first been evolved by tight-bound
circumstances. Excellent practice in shades of blue had given it a
certified place in the embroidery art of America, but we do not find it
in collections of old English embroidery. It is one of the small
monuments which mark the path of the woman colonist, narrowed by
circumstances, which created a recognized style. It is not to be
wondered at that blue-and-white crewelwork made a place for itself in
the history of embroidery which was a permanent one. The circumstances
of Puritan life being so simple and direct would induce a corresponding
simplicity of taste, and simplicity is apt to seize upon first
principles.

Every colorist knows that strong but peaceful contrast is one of the
first laws of color arrangement, and the unconscious yoking of white and
blue placed one of the strongest color notes against unprotesting and
receptive white. This made a new manner or style of embroidery. Its
permanence may have been influenced by the art of one of the oldest
peoples of the world, and as we have said, the prevalence of Canton
china upon the dressers and filling the mantel closets and serving the
tables of the rich, was beginning to appear in all houses of growing
prosperity, even where pewter ware and dishes carved from wood still
held the place of actual service.

The Puritan housewife could arrange her grades of blue according to the
Chinese colors of this oldest domestic art of the world, and be
correspondingly happy in the result. Chinese design, however, had no
influence in the growing practice of embroidery, and here also an
instinctive law prevailed. She recognized that even the highly
artificial landscape art of her idolized plates would not suit the
flexible and broken surfaces of her equally cherished linen, or the
surroundings of her life.

It was small wonder that this became a favorite style of embroidery and
has in it the seeds of permanence. A table setting of snow-white or
cream-white homespun, scalloped and embroidered in lines of blue
crewels, shining with the precious Canton blue, was, and would be even
at this day, a thing to admire