Antique Linen with hand embroidery monograms

Hand embroidered monograms on linens began with the heraldic and family crests that were embroidered onto all the linens of the aristocracy. During the 19th century it became part of the tradition of preparing the wedding trousseau for middle class families - monogramming the household linens with the combined initials of the couple-to-be. Occasionally, the date was included to mark the year of the wedding - invaluable now to help in dating the linens




These monograms were on some linens - cushions, pillowcases and linen sheets - that I bought at an auction in North Yorkshire from a large house in Harrogate. As there are more than one combination of initials I think that it can be assumed that the family also inherited  linens from the maternal side of the family

Hand embroidered monogrammed linen has become very popular in recent years and therefore more expensive!   Below are some images of  the embroidered date and monogram on a linen sheet. It is quite unusual to find the date embroidered in such a prominent position.This sheet came in the same lot of linens and was obviously much loved and used as it has been darned several times. The embroidery work is however excellent - it is currently at auction on eBay.

There is an excellent website which shows the different types and styles of lettering used in monograms http://embroideryarts.com/cgi-bin/intarsia/letter.cgi?letter=a  This can be of great help when trying to decipher a monogram as some are so stylised that it can be difficult to work out each individual letter