Needlework samplers from Christian mission schools in Sierra Leone, 1820s to 1840s
My current project focuses on the material culture connected with early Anglican missions in the British colony of Sierra Leone. I explore the history of embroidery samplers produced by African girls in schools of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) in the first half of the nineteenth century. 26 such samplers are known today – a unique collection of needlework from a mission field. They are preserved in the collections of European and North American museums, archives, and private individuals.
The samplers were used by the mission as propaganda items – to encourage supporters in Europe – and also served as personal souvenirs for family and friends. They were produced by ‘Liberated Africans’ and their children, that is, formerly enslaved individuals found on slave vessels captured by the British navy in its efforts to suppress the transatlantic slave trade and ‘liberated’ by the Admiralty Court, and, from 1819, the Court of Mixed Commission.
Due to the gendered nature of work in the period, the focus on needlework brings into view the role of female employees of the missions. They included Africans, Europeans (British, German, Swiss) and Nova Scotians, that is, African Americans. I examine their careers and experiences, aiming to present a collective biography of the needlework teachers.
This project combines several fields in African history that interest me: the history of slavery and post-slavery, biographical research, the role of gender in education, and the transfer of skills and technology. By reconstructing the introduction of needlework, it will also contribute to the history of sewing and embroidery in West Africa.
* All photos © Church Mission Society. Reproduced with permission by the CMS and the Cadbury Research Library: Special Collections, University of Birmingham.
Events
21 October 2025, Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham
Marking their importance: Needlework samplers and the role of Black women in the Anglican mission in Sierra Leone, 1804-1840s
Black women made a significant contribution to the development of the Church Missionary Society’s mission in West Africa, but they rarely appear in missionary records or the historiography. However, a unique collection of needlework samplers held by the Cadbury Research Library provides material traces of their work as pupils and teachers in the CMS schools. Following the thread of these samplers, I will explore the experiences of African American and Euro-African women in this contact zone.
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/cadbury/events
Publications
2010. ‘African Girls’ Samplers from Mission Schools in Sierra Leone (1820s to 1840s), History in Africa: A Journal of Method, 37, pp. 189-245.
2025. ‘Mission Samplers from Sierra Leone: Traces of a Black woman’s career in the Church Missionary Society, c.1811 to 1841’, Samplings: Antique samplers & silk embroideries from M. Finkel & Daughter, https://www.samplings.com/mission-samplers-sierra-leone-traces-black-womans-career-church-missionary-society-c1811-1841.