LECTURE: The Workers Behind the Work: 17th Century Caskets and the People Who Made Them

SPEAKER: Dr. Tricia Nguyen

LOCATION: Carriage House

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: TBD, 2026

Four Seasons Casket

Please join us for this evening potluck dinner and lecture. Bring your favorite dish or dessert to share. Dinner will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the business meeting followed by a fascinating lecture by Dr. Tricia Nguyen (live via Zoom).

Embroidered cabinets are truly magical objects, captivating the imagination with their intricate, three-dimensional stories on the exterior and their hidden, secret drawers within. While these pieces often lack the rich biographical details found on samplers, making them somewhat anonymous, they still hold valuable clues to their origins and manufacture.

Unlike samplers, which required only the embroiderer and her teacher, embroidered cabinets needed the collaboration of many—merchants, artists, and skilled workers—who transformed the embroidery into a complex, three-dimensional object. While the names of these workers remain largely unknown, this survey of the genre will reveal a network of designers, draftspeople, teachers, cabinet makers, bottle makers, and others who fueled the demand for these mysterious cabinets between 1650 and 1700.

Through this exploration, we will draw comparisons between the mass production of these cabinets and the evidence found on surviving examples, offering insights into the processes behind their creation. By examining the intricate steps involved in crafting these pieces, we can begin to understand how the process worked in 17th-century England, shedding light on the collaborative nature of this fascinating craft.