March 7 @ 2:00 pm

Lecture by Alexandra Peters, Needlework Historian

History Revealed: Schoolgirl Samplers

Sunday, March 7 at 2:00pm
Norwalk Town House, 2 E. Wall Street, Norwalk

Join needlework historian Alexandra Peters, and dive into the world of vintage stitching & discover the stories behind schoolgirl samplers.
Sampler, Amanda G. Smith, Aged 11 years, February 23, 1837, Norwalk, Conn, City of Norwalk
Sampler, Amanda G. Smith, Aged 11 years, February 23, 1837, Norwalk, Conn, City of Norwalk
Alexandra Peters, Needlework Historian
Alexandra Peters, Needlework Historian

A sampler may look like decoration at first glance – but needlework historian Alexandra Peters argues it can be a primary source. On Saturday, March 7, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., Peters will present “History Revealed: Schoolgirl Samplers” for the Norwalk Historical Society at Mill Hill Historic Park – Town House (2 East Wall St., Norwalk). Admission is free; registration is required.

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Peters, a sampler collector and curator, will explore how 19th-century schoolgirl samplers illuminate life before the Industrial Revolution from the “often surprising perspective of young women.” She describes samplers as “historical documents written by girls on silk and linen with needles,” preserving values, education, family life, and lived experience in thread.
 
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The lecture is paired with a companion exhibition at the Norwalk Historical Society Museum, featuring over a dozen samplers and needlework from the Norwalk Historical Society & Museum collection. For the March 7 program, selected pieces will also be displayed at Mill Hill during the lecture, offering attendees a rare chance to view these works up close. This lecture is part of the Norwalk Historical Society’s public programs commemorating the 250th Anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence. The Norwalk Historical Society is an America 250|CT Affiliate.
 
About Alexandra Peters
Alexandra Lally Peters was born in Scotland and emigrated to the United States in 1959. She holds an MA in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University and writes essays and novels. She is a historian of needlework and the lives of girls in the late 1700s and early 1800s.

About the Norwalk Historical Society The Norwalk Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Incorporated in 1899, the Norwalk Historical Society preserves and shares Norwalk’s rich history through programs, exhibits, and events. The Society has two locations in Norwalk: Mill Hill Historic Park (2 East Wall Street) and the Norwalk Historical Society Museum (141 East Avenue).

Norwalk Historical Society

203-846-0525

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