Hortense Bertholet
Hortense Bertholet ca. 1890 from Wallonia in Belgium
Well done Hortense! Unique are your shades of colour in the second alphabet and only the beautiful little flowers in your name.
You attended the boarding school in Welkenraedt, Belgium. Did you daughters of wealthy parents exchange the many colours of wool with each other, did your parents get them for you or did the school buy them?
In many parts of Europe there were still no state schools for girls to attend. Often monasteries provided an outbuilding. An old postcard from Welkenraedt that I found on the internet shows this boarding school building next to the church. Welkenraedt is now a Belgian municipality not far from the border with Germany, about fifteen kilometres from Aachen.
I was able to purchase the sampler at an auction. It was supposed to be a birthday present for our friend Margit Guerrein's 70th birthday. It is now part of her large collection.
Crosses: 252 x 237
Size: 35,5 x 33,5 cm
Stitches: Cross stitch