Our recent “Virtual Wednesday” meet up brought some enlightening information about two tapestries we previously mentioned here. The two tapestries (the Plymouth Tapestry and the Keiskama Tapestry) were well researched. The results of that research were presented by two members of our ABC Team; Bonnie and Catherine respectively.
Bonnie has been enamoured of this tapestry for some time. Through genealogical search, she is able to trace directly back to an 11th great grandfather on the Mayflower in 1620. Needless to say, here is just a highlight of what Bonnie presented from her research.
In 2018, Elizabeth Creeden proposed to reinterpret, in stitch, the events leading up to and including the founding of the colony at Plymouth in 1620. The intention was to have it completed by 2020 in time to celebrate the 400th year of the arrival of the Mayflower. Due to the Covid pandemic, the tapestry was not able to be completed by 2020. The project has been ongoing and as of September 2023, about half of the 20 panels are complete.
When doing the research for designing this particular tapestry, Ms. Creeden had written history from the European side of the story. The Wampanoag side of the story had to come from myth, legend or oral history. For this side of the story, she worked with specialists who were knowledgeable about the area.
Each panel was to be 6 feet long with a total of 20 panels. All of the drawings for the tapestry, which Elizabeth drew, were done on paper which was then printed onto linen. The tapestry was stitched using wool, perle cotton, trebizond, gimp and leather. Paying close attention to detail, Elizabeth discovered that the orange carrot she had stitched was inaccurate; carrots of the time were only white.
In order to stitch the 6-foot panels, they were stretched onto hardwood frames using linen thread lacing which provided the strength needed. Six stitchers were able to work on a panel, with some working with an upside down image.
Similar to the Bayeaux Tapestry border placement, the Plymouth Tapestry has a top border representing the mythology of the Wampanoag, and a bottom border representing the European story.
Elizabeth had one stitcher work on the entire top border lettering, while a second stitcher would work on the bottom border lettering. With each stitchers tension being slightly different, this ensured that the lettering was consistent in tension and appearance throughout. In addition, Elizabeth stitched all of the faces on the panels to again maintain consistency.
Panel 1 began with the Wampanoag people who lived in the area of Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island 12,000 years before the Mayflower arrived. It depicts the dome like structures of the summer housing of the Wampanoag covered with mats made of reeds.
Panel 2 features the Wampanoag and their connection to the land, focusing on their beliefs of how their creator Moshrup formed the land of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
Panel 3 depicts the Rise of Christian Europe. Top and bottom borders are once again referencing the difference and similarities of the Wampanoag and Europeans. Top border reads: Elders teach by stories & memory. People read wampum & birch bark with no alphabet. Bottom border reads : Monasteries uphold scholarship. Monks tend the sick and welcome travellers.
Panel 4 depicts John Wycliffe, a printing press and the words “1395 translated Bible into English”. Below you can see the drawing followed by a detail of the the stitched version showing the printing press.
This panel continues with drawings of John Hus, Martin Luther, Henry V111, and John Calvin representing the impact of the printing press and showing the progression of new ideas. The stomacher on Henry VIII’ s outfit was stitched separately and appliqued in place. Picture below shows stitcher working on this particular panel on Henry VIII.
Panel 5 shows King James I hearing the protests of the Separatists. At the time the King held tight control of printing and rejected the Separatists request to emigrate to Holland fearing that printing would take place overseas.
Panel 6 represents the rise of Separatism and how it affected particular congregations in England.
Panel 7 depicts the first attempt at the escape from England. To the stitchers of the tapestry it was known as The Night Panel as it illustrates three moonlit scenes. As inspiration they used the colour palettes of artists of the time, e.g. James Whistler’s Nocturne in order to get the lighting they desired.
Panel 8 shows the arrests during a second escape attempt. In looking at the detail, one can see that the stitch created during the stitching of the Bayeaux Tapestry was also used here.
Panel 9 shows Tisquantum, chief of the Wampanoag, advising Capt. Thomas Dermer in Newfoundland. Tiquantum had been kidnapped and taken back to England. He became an interpreter for the colonizers.
Panel 10 depicts a map of Leiden, which was home for 12 years for the Separatists before sailing on the Mayflower.
Thank you to Bonnie for researching this particular tapestry in such detail and presenting it for our Guild to enjoy. Should you like to learn more about the Plymouth Tapestry or follow the project, you can find information on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StitchinganEpicHistory, or at The Pilgrim Hall Museum here.
Our next post will continue our Virtual Wednesday study of tapestries by looking at the Kieskamma Tapestry.