Reviews of Naomi Tarrant’s books and related information:
At a time when the often conflicting aims and desires of authors, funding bodies, editors and publishers result in the limited use, or even total lack, of colour images and illustrations, Naomi Tarrant's Remember Now Thy Creator’: Scottish Girls Samplers, 1700–1872 is a breath of fresh air. Published by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland this large hardback volume contains over 200 full-colour images of historic samplers from private and public collections. Offering full-page reproductions and detailed close-ups of samplers, the range and quality of the images is a key strength of the book enabling the reader to experience, close at hand, these wonderful pieces of social history.
Tarrant was formerly a curator at National Museums Scotland, as well as being a respected dress and textile historian, and her knowledge and experience of collection-based study is evident in this work. Collections in Britain, Ireland and the United States have been scoured for relevant items, with the significant contribution from private collectors to this volume demonstrating just how popular and treasured samplers can be. Starting with a basic introduction to what the term ‘sampler’ means, the book then uses these surviving examples to discuss samplers in the Scottish context, the relationship between samplers and education, plain sewed and embroidered samplers, trends in the designs for the Scottish samplers and, in the final chapter, outlines the history of some of the makers of these pieces. While the focus is on Scotland, numerous references are made to examples in Ireland and England in particular, showing how fluid boundaries can be when it comes to style, design and the role of women in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Naomi has a Degree in European History with special subject Roman Britain which allowed her to work in various museums as both an archaeologist and social history curator. Retired after 28 years as curator of European and Scottish costume and textiles at the National Museum Scotland. Published books and numerous articles mainly on dress and textiles. All Naomi’s research has been based on finding out about the people behind the objects she curated and their story.
Naomi has pursued her own family history for many decades and is a member of several family history societies, the Society of Genealogists’ and a Fellow of both the Antiquaries of London and the Antiquaries of Scotland as well as being a member of the Costume Society and the ICOM Costume Committee.