Pod Insights Stuff You Missed in History Class Embroidery History Sampler, Part 1 About this episode The first installment of this two-parter covers ancient embroidery around the world, and then focuses on European embroidery, Chinese dragon robes, and the Bayeux Tapestry.
Transcript Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
0:00 Speaker 00 This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human. OnDeck is built to back small businesses like yours. Whether you're buying equipment, expanding your team, or bridging cash flow gaps, OnDeck's loans up to $400,000 help make it happen fast. Rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau and earning thousands of five-star Trust Pilot reviews, OnDeck delivers funding you can count on. Apply in minutes at ondeck.com. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by OnDeck or Celtic Bank. OnDeck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amounts subject to lender approval.
0:33 Holly Frey? A rare disease diagnosis can change your life, but it doesn't have to define your future. In season seven of Untold Stories: Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, host Martine Hackett continues the conversation with people living with MG, CIDP, and the broader rare disease community, exploring what comes after diagnosis through stories of hope, progress, and connection. Produced by Ruby Studio in partnership with Argenx, listen on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:04 Speaker 02 If you're a custodial supervisor at a local high school, you know that cleanliness is key and that the best place to get cleaning supplies is from Grainger. Grainger helps you stay fully stocked on the products you trust, from paper towels and disinfectants to floor scrubbers. Plus, you can rely on Grainger for easy reordering, so you never run out of what you need. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click Grainger.com, or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done.
1:34 Speaker 03 I'm Martha Stewart from the Martha Stewart Podcast. When you want to make your best, it's got to be McCormick. From everyday meals to hosting dinner parties, turn to McCormick. Their convenient, versatile flavors elevate every dish. McCormick has been and is an essential in the kitchen. Now they have a new line of signature seasonings crafted by flavor experts, with everyday favorites like garlic and olive oil, globally inspired ones like chimichurri, and more. McCormick's signature seasonings make it easier to add bold flavors that make each bite of your meal more delicious. Try the chimichurri blend that elevates grilled meats. Explore the full array of blends and find your favorite at McCormick.com.
2:16 Holly Frey? Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production of iHeart Radio.
2:26 Holly Frey? Hello and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly Frey. And I'm Tracy V. Wilson.
2:33 Holly Frey? We're talking about something I have wanted to talk about for a long, like, literal years. Yeah. It is tricky to pinpoint the origin of embroidered embellishment for obvious reasons. Most textiles that were around before recorded history don't exist anymore. They have not survived the ravage of time. And as a consequence, depending on what source you look at, you'll actually see different timelines for the origin of needlework used to decorate fabric. And then to add to that, this is, of course, a global art. Different cultures have employed embroidered embellishments for a long time. It seems to spontaneously arise kind of in every culture in some way, which I think is cool. But each of those cultures had their
3:14 Holly Frey? own timelines regarding when embroidery was adopted into their handiwork. But as I just mentioned, I've been wanting to talk about embroidery and its history for a long time. When I tell you literal years, not kidding. And I have loved it for a lot of years. And I have started and not completed this episode a minimum of five times. Yeah.
3:36 Holly Frey? Where I'm like, I don't, I can't wrap my head around how to manage all of this. I don't know that I did manage all of this, but it's because it's overwhelming. There's a lot. You can't be comprehensive at all. Right. And you have to accept that and try to pick pieces that you think will give people a decent, you know, set of informational facts and contexts without being able to fully flesh out every concept. But then over the holidays, when I was working, but things were a little bit slower, I had some time to dig out the books that I have been amassing on the subject. And I tried to figure out a way to talk about it. So the way it's usually
4:17 Holly Frey? talked about when you read histories is usually through like a bifurcated narrative. The reason for that is that we know some things about ancient embroidery around the world, but then the subject largely splits in two directions. Western, and specifically English embroidery traditions, and Asian, specifically Chinese embroidery traditions, to the point that you will have books that say a comprehensive history of embroidery and they're only about one or the other, which makes it very tricky. But the Silk Road, of course, is a bridge between them. And there are instances where some developments were happening in one culture's needlework traditions that would impact others later on. So it's very hard to keep everything linear. Thus, here's your warning, we're going to jump around a little bit.
5:02 Holly Frey? But also, as I said, embroidery has a massive history. It could be a podcast in its own right, although that would be for a rather niche audience, the embroideries, which I would listen to.
5:14 Tracy V. Wilson? Yeah.
5:15 Holly Frey? You know, this is a more general history show. So to try to make it all work, sort of, this is, in the embroidery tradition, more of a sampler of information. We're going to talk about embroidery samplers in a bit. And when I say in a bit, I mean, next episode, because this is a two parter.
5:31 Tracy V. Wilson? Part two.
5:33 Holly Frey? And even so, I just want to caveat, this means we are leaving so much out, even with a two parter. So for a show like ours, which is not an all embroidery podcast, my goal is to showcase how important embellishment of fabric has been throughout all of human history as a means of expression and artistry, and a way to share information. You may think you do not have much of a connection to embroidery, but I promise you embroidered pieces have been part of almost every story throughout human history, thus probably yours, whether you knew it or not.
6:06 Tracy V. Wilson? So embroidery is, at its most basic definition, the embellishment of a fabric using a needle and thread to create some kind of decoration. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first known use of the word embroidery in English print appeared in the writings of 14th century writer John Gower, who mentioned it in his work Confessio Amantis. This is part of the confessions of the character Amant, who notes his lady embroidering. The word is borrowed from the French embroidé, which is a verb, and the word broderie, which is a noun. But humans were engaging in embroidery so long before it had that name.
6:52 Holly Frey? Ancient needles made from animal bone, complete with eyes to pass thread through, have been found in Europe and Asia and have been dated back as far as 38,000 BCE. North American finds of similar objects are estimated to be between 12,000 and 13,500 years old. So all over the world, for thousands of years, this has been something that's come up. Examples of actual embroidery have been noted in fossils dating back to 30,000 BCE during the Paleolithic era, but we don't know a whole lot about those early efforts. There is evidence of embroidery and beads being used in that embroidery, and even in one case, a stitch that finished the edges of a garment like a buttonhole stitch.
7:36 Holly Frey? But what has been seen is largely just fragments and kind of like hints at what we think it is. What we actually do know conclusively actually jumps us forward in time quite a bit to ancient Egypt in the 11th century BCE. And we know that the ancient Egyptians used embroidery. Thanks to their burial rituals, there are a number of fairly well-preserved examples of embellished textiles from tombs. One example is made up of two pieces of fabric from the funeral tent of Queen Isthmgeb. This fabric is actually animal hide, and it's specifically gazelle, and it has a pink leather cording stitched to it with pink thread to form a decorative binding along the edge. So not exactly embroidery as we would think of it, but certainly an embellishment with
8:21 Holly Frey? a fabric and a needle and thread.
8:23 Tracy V. Wilson? Also in Egypt, but several hundred years later, there's another example that we don't have in hand, but we have a description of it, which was written by Herodotus. He writes of an Egyptian corset, which in this instance means a piece of decorative armor. Quote, "It was made of linen, ornamented with numerous figures and animals, worked in gold and cotton. Each thread of the corset was worthy of admiration." According to the additional description provided by Herodotus, each individual thread was made up of 360 other threads. All these threads, according to the writing, were very clearly visible. The stitchers in the audience are probably trying to envision what that would look like.
9:08 Tracy V. Wilson? And honestly, so are we. 360 threads, even if they are very, very fine, would make a significantly sized cord if they were all twisted together. So maybe this was stitched down in a way that spiraled and showcased all of these threads, or maybe Herodotus was like a little confused about how embroidery works. Maybe it is a translation issue. Who can say? In any case, he mentions in the histories that this was a gift from the Pharaoh Amasis to the Simeons, and then another similar corset was given to the temple of Minerva in Lindus. The earliest surviving piece of embroidery is a piece that was taken from the tomb of
9:50 Tracy V. Wilson? Tutankhamun dating back to about the 1320s BCE. And by that point, needles made from metal were already in use. Yeah, so just in case you're like, wait, you said there is evidence of older than that. This is the first actual surviving piece of embroidery. And we're going to talk about some early evidence of embellishment stitching in China after we first pause for a sponsor break.
10:17 Speaker 00 Cash Flow Crunch on Deck's small business line of credit gives your business immediate access to funds up to $200,000 right when you need it. Cover seasonal dips, manage payroll, restock inventory, or tackle unexpected expenses without missing a beat with flexible draws, transparent pricing, and control over repayment. Get funded quickly and confidently. Apply today at ondeck.com. Funds could be available as soon as tomorrow. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by OnDeck or Celtic Bank. OnDeck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amounts subject to lender approval.
10:47 Speaker 05 First thought is like, wow, how are we going to do all this?
10:50 Tracy V. Wilson? Hey, everybody, it's Tracy from Stuff You Missed in History Class. That's Alan Goya, a planning engineer at AT&T. He's talking about Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers, where every seat, screen, phone, and transaction is connected with AT&T fiber and 5G, defining the fan's experience. And Alan's master plan made it all possible.
11:10 Speaker 05 It was good arrival, anything that was already built. And that takes quite a bit of people and different teams to all be on the same page.
11:18 Tracy V. Wilson? That includes field services manager Drexel Jones. His team made sure it all came together and held up on game day.
11:25 Speaker 06 Through what Alan's whole crew designed, we connected the event visitors to the world.
11:31 Tracy V. Wilson? And after years of hard work and collaboration, it was opening night.
11:34 Speaker 06 To actually see the whole stadium light up and data is flowing is a beautiful thing.
11:38 Speaker 05 What the fans experience is incredible. It gave me a lot of pride.
11:42 Tracy V. Wilson? AT&T, connecting fans to what they love. Connecting changes everything. AT&T.
11:48 Tracy V. Wilson? So you're considering getting a home security system, but you want something that fits your space. Well, with ADT Blue, it's easy to customize a system that's right for you and set it up yourself. Just pick the kit and monitoring plan that makes sense for your home. Let's say you're worried about package theft. The ADT Plus app can walk you through setting up a new doorbell camera kit. Once it's installed, ADT Pros can help you keep tabs on it 24/7, or you can manage it yourself from the ADT Plus app. There are no long-term contracts, so you can change your monitoring plan whenever you want. The flexibility doesn't end there. You can add to your system as you need to with things like extra cameras or motion sensors. Some life decisions are hard, but thanks to ADT
12:30 Tracy V. Wilson? Blue, you can DIY trusted ADT home security in a snap. Head to ADT.com/BLU to build your system today. And to hear more about home protection and other grown-up topics, check out new episodes of Grown-Up Stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
12:55 Tracy V. Wilson? Guess who's back in the house? The old gays return for season two of Silver Linings, their hit podcast from iHeart's Ruby Studio in partnership with ViiV Healthcare. Just wait until you hear what hosts Robert McMillan and Jess A. have in store this time around. They strut back down memory lane navigating life, love, loss, and everything that shaped them along the way. And as usual, someone just might break into song. From leather bars to bathhouses, dance floors to drag brunch, nothing stays off limits. These are the kinds of insights that can only come from experience. So listen to your elders, honey, and discover the silver linings you can take with you. All sass, zero filter,
13:36 Tracy V. Wilson? and decades of perspective from four friends proving that queer joy only gets better with age on the podcast that never gets old. Listen to Silver Linings, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
14:00 Holly Frey? All right, we're about to talk about some Chinese things. And let me just tell you, I know my pronunciation is not good, so.
14:07 Tracy V. Wilson? We're doing our best.
14:08 Holly Frey? Blessings upon you for your patience.
14:12 Holly Frey? At an archaeological site outside of Beijing known as Zhukudian and dated to 16,000 BCE, researchers have uncovered a wide range of bone needles. Similarly, beads made from shell, bone, and stone have been found throughout China and other Asian countries, indicating that in addition to possibly trading some of these items, people were using them to embellish clothing. Renowned embroiderer and historian Yongyong Chung described the use of what she called "proto-embroidery" in her book Silken Threads: A History of Embroidery in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, as a way to track migration and cultural development in Asia.
14:54 Holly Frey? She notes that proto-embroidery really shows up in the northern areas of Asia first, and also that the earliest evidence of a spindle whirl, which is a weighted object that was used on a spindle to maintain a consistent speed for creating yarns, shows up in the late Neolithic period, so that means after 7,000 BCE.
15:14 Tracy V. Wilson? An especially important development in embroidery history and in textiles in general happened when people in China developed the ability to cultivate silkworms themselves rather than just gathering silk pods. Silk pods from wild silkworms would have only provided short filaments that had to be very carefully wound together to form longer fibers. And that's because as a silkworm emerges from the cocoon, it produces a secretion that breaks the cocoon down so it can emerge. But once silkworms were domesticated, these pods could be harvested before the chrysalis inside matured. So the silk from the pod could be unwound in one long, continuous piece.
15:59 Tracy V. Wilson? That made it possible to create much finer silk textiles. And this was a technique that enabled China to be the sole producer of silk for a long time.
16:09 Holly Frey? Yeah, their whole technique of weaving was like a secret for many, many years. Well before the Silk Road was officially established in the second century BCE, silk was in production and embroidery on it was part of Chinese culture. For example, the chain stitch was in use as early as the fifth century BCE in China. And also, what we call the Silk Road was really a collection of smaller trade routes that had been in use that started to coalesce as trade increased. Even in that coalesced state, there were actually many routes, not just one. UNESCO actually uses the plural term Silk Roads when talking about this trade network. But the most important thing, at least as it relates to what we're talking about today,
16:51 Holly Frey? is that ideas were being exchanged along these routes as well as goods. And as more people saw Chinese embroidery, the designs and techniques were borrowed and copied and incorporated into the stitching of other cultures. So as we talk about the embroidery traditions of various places around the globe, we have to keep in mind that there is a degree to which they are all linked developmentally thanks to this trade of ideas and designs.
17:17 Tracy V. Wilson? In the years that the Silk Roads were developing and flourishing, so were the embroidery styles of China. And what emerged were four primary schools of embroidery. Each one was associated with a different region of the country. Shu embroidery is associated with the Sichuan province, and its style is incredibly intricate to the point of looking in some cases almost like photographs created from threads.
17:43 Tracy V. Wilson? The stitching is very tight with colors that blends together rather than showing any sharp lines of color blocking. Nature imagery is very popular and pandas, which are associated with the city of Chengdu, they're commonly seen in this style of embroidery.
17:58 Holly Frey? Jiang embroidery is associated with Hunan Province and it tends to be very bold in its designs. The intricacy of this style is evidenced in the fact that the backside of the embroidery is not just beautiful, but it is also usually a different image. So the embroiderer is creating two pieces of art at once. So if you look at a piece, say, oh, my gosh, this is beautiful and flip it over, you're going to see a different image that is also beautiful. These designs often use animals with high contrast between colors. Su embroidery, which is named for the city of Suzhou in the Jiangsu province, remains the most popular of the Chinese embroidery schools today. It is characterized by very fine needlework with very narrow needles and thin threads
18:43 Holly Frey? to create this incredibly rich, detailed imagery. There are often many, many colors at play in any given design and some feature mirrored designs on the back of the work. The last of the four schools is Yue embroidery, which is also called Cantonese embroidery. This is a very old style. This embroidery is often very colorful, but it doesn't have the photographic quality of some of the other styles. And it's also usually worked in cotton thread rather than silk. But all four of these styles are officially recognized as part of China's intangible cultural heritage.
19:18 Tracy V. Wilson? Other early surviving examples of embroidery come from the Cidian Empire. The Cidian culture dates back to the span of time from 900 to 200 BCE. This was a nomadic warrior culture. They're primarily associated with southern Siberia and modern day Ukraine. They had a reputation for being fearsome. According to the writings of Herodotus, quote, "None who attacks them can escape and none can catch them if they desire not to be found."
19:49 Holly Frey? But in addition to that interesting part of their legacy, the Scythians also valued art and personal adornment. They cast metal jewelry and they had tattoos and they also embroidered. Felt pieces, possibly part of burial accoutrement, have been found with shapes embroidered on them. But those old ones are far more basic than the more recent discoveries. One of the interesting aspects of some of those more recent discoveries of Scythian embroidery shows the way that their nomadic lifestyle offered them the opportunity to borrow motifs from other cultures over the centuries. And once again, this goes back to how deeply connected all humans are. Motifs like lotus flowers have
20:30 Holly Frey? been tracked by researchers as they appeared on textiles embroidered in China and then seemed to have slowly been adopted by other cultures who came in contact with China and then made their way to inter Asian cultures, including the Scythians. Similarly, Greek and Persian designs also appear on Scythian embroidered textiles. So, over time, the Scythians were really incorporating designs into their embroidery that they borrowed from seeing them in a lot of places elsewhere.
20:58 Tracy V. Wilson? The use of embroidery on Scythian clothing is also unique as a stylistic element in terms of placement. Archaeologist Margarita Gleba mentioned in the book Dressing the Past in 2008 that, quote, "The decorative elements on garments have been placed in such a manner as to highlight the edges and the seams. Seams especially were emphasized with embroidery." Gleba notes that there are some historians that have stated that using decorations at garment edges, like neck and sleeve openings, was part of a way to keep evil spirits from entering the clothing. I think Holly wants to embroider all the hems and seams and edges that way.
21:41 Holly Frey? Everything will keep evil spirits out.
21:43 Tracy V. Wilson? Tell everybody that's the reason.
21:47 Tracy V. Wilson? Sidian embroidery is also known to have been a way that the embroiderers tried to imbue their garments with luck. The idea of amulet embroidery, which often appears on things like loose-fitting, tunic-style shirts, has continued into the present day. One aspect of Sidian embroidery that also applies to a lot of other cultures is that the work is attributed almost exclusively to women and girls, and that's not entirely surprising. Sewing of any kind has been considered women's work in a lot of cultures, not universally, but a lot. Some of the writing about this work on Sidian garments, specifically as it relates to luck, suggests that there was a certain power in the act of creation for the women, who may
22:31 Tracy V. Wilson? have sung or repeated specific phrases while working to manifest that luck in the stitches. There are also mentions of these lucky or protective garments being worn by men under their armor when they went into battle, as they believed in the power of the embroidered amulets.
22:50 Holly Frey? One particularly striking example of Sidian embroidery made the rounds online in the early 2020s, although it had been discovered decades before that. It's a leather boot that has been embellished with thread and beadwork, even on the sole. This example, which is estimated to be around 2,300 years old, was found in a burial ground in Siberia's All Time Mountains in the mid 20th century. So it likely wasn't intended for real-world use if it was a burial garment, which is why it is more intact than footwear that would have been part of someone's everyday wardrobe. And the embellishment on it is ornate. Along the uppers of the boot is a beautiful scrollwork that incorporates beads into the silk stitches.
23:34 Holly Frey? The carefully pleated toe is joined to the sole in a way that looks exactly like modern ballet slippers, and the sole itself has three diamond shapes of different sizes, outlined with beaded embroidery, and then filled in with additional embroidery and beadwork. It's an incredibly beautiful piece, and it's part of the collection of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.
23:56 Tracy V. Wilson? Modern day Ukraine honors the embroidery tradition of the Cidians. In 2006, a student-led initiative started with the intent to make May 16th Embroidery Day. That slowly spread and gained traction until it got government support in 2015. This is not the only embroidery day that there is in the world. Sweden is credited with creating World Embroidery Day in 2011, for example, and that falls on July 30th. We're going to take a break to hear from the sponsors that keep the show going. And when we're back, we are going to talk about prehistoric embroidery in Peru.
24:35 Speaker 00 Cash flow crunch? OnDeck's small business line of credit gives your business immediate access to funds, up to $200,000, right when you need it. Cover seasonal dips, manage payroll, restock inventory, or tackle unexpected expenses without missing a beat. With flexible draws, transparent pricing, and control over repayment, get funded quickly and confidently. Apply today at ondeck.com. Funds could be available as soon as tomorrow. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by OnDeck or Celtic Bank. OnDeck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amounts subject to lender approval.
25:06 Tracy V. Wilson? Guess who's back in the house? The old gays return for season two of Silver Linings, their hit podcast from iHeart's Ruby Studio in partnership with ViiV Healthcare. Just wait until you hear what hosts Robert McMillan and Jess A. have in store this time around. They strut back down memory lane navigating life, love, loss, and everything that shaped them along the way. And as usual, someone just might break into song. From leather bars to bathhouses, dance floors to drag brunch, nothing stays off limits. These are the kinds of insights that can only come from experience. So listen to your elders, honey, and discover the silver linings you can take with you. All sass, zero filter, and decades of perspective from four friends
25:50 Tracy V. Wilson? proving that queer joy only gets better with age on the podcast that never gets old. Listen to Silver Linings, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
26:05 Speaker 07 Okay, Chicken Nugget fans, I've got huge news. The new Burger King Chicken Nuggets just dropped, and they are the crispiest, the juiciest, and the tastiest chicken nuggets ever at Burger King. Burger King heard that a lot of you didn't like the old Chicken Nuggets, so they got to work and reinvented them. To go along with the new Chicken Nuggets, a lot of the sauces were reinvented too, because better Chicken Nuggets deserve better sauces. We're talking new buffalo sauce, honey mustard, sweet and sour, and even a whole new option too, the new special savory sauce, which is only available for a limited time at participating US restaurants. I mean, you need to taste it all for yourself. This new Chicken Nugget,
26:49 Speaker 07 reinvented based on real feedback, is made with 100% white meat chicken and is now better than ever. You gotta try the new Burger King Chicken Nuggets and sauces today.
27:01 Tracy V. Wilson? For any small business owner, there's a moment when you realize the next hire could be the difference between staying busy and actually growing. The challenge is finding the right person without wasting time sorting through candidates who aren't the right fit. That's where Indeed Sponsored Jobs comes in. When workplace chaos hits and you need someone who can step in and make a difference, this is a job for Sponsored Jobs. It helps put your job in front of candidates who match the criteria that matter most to you, whether that's skills, experience, certifications, or location. And you're certainly not alone in using Indeed. Join the 3.3 million employers worldwide that use Indeed to connect with quality talent that fits their needs. That's millions of businesses turning to Indeed to help solve hiring challenges
27:45 Tracy V. Wilson? and find people who can help drive results. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results. Get your $75 sponsored job credit today at indeed.com/podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Hiring now, then this is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs.
28:13 Holly Frey? Peru has a rich prehistoric embroidery story as well. And as is the case with ancient Egypt, we have examples due to their rituals of mummifying the dead and including lots of handworked articles with them in burial. Centuries before the Incan Empire was present in the area, indigenous Peruvian peoples were creating incredibly intricate textile art. The archaeological site known as Pachacamac, which sits southeast of Lima, has a cemetery which has been the source of a lot of embroidery finds.
28:45 Tracy V. Wilson? The Peruvian examples show multiple kinds of embellishment being combined. So for example, sometimes designs woven into a fabric on a loom would then be embellished with embroidery. The motifs of these examples are graphic representations of things from the natural world, mostly things like octopus, fish, and wild cats. While some look like blocky stylized animals that are pretty easy to recognize, others are more abstract and their forms have been altered to fit a space or a design. A lot of early Peruvian embroidery samples feature imagery that's heavily filled in, creating full detailed pictures rather than being an assembly of different design motifs.
29:29 Holly Frey? There are also a lot of historical instances of embroidery being used as a way to create substitutions for other textiles that were otherwise unattainable. So as fabrics with interwoven designs started to be made in places like Greece and Egypt after the invention of the warp-waisted loom in the 15th century BCE, those textiles would have been extremely costly and available only to the extremely wealthy. So people who wanted a similar look but couldn't afford those woven-in designs turned to embroidery embellishments. Later examples of this come from the Cops, the indigenous Christian ethno-religious community of Egypt, starting from the first century CE.
30:11 Holly Frey? One coptic embroidery technique involved weaving the embellishment thread into the base fabric in a way that created motifs that would often outlive the original fabric itself. And so when those garments wore out or broke down, that embroidery piece, those would often be used as an applique, almost like a patch that would be stitched onto a new garment.
30:33 Tracy V. Wilson? The Byzantine Empire's love of embroidery is well-known, in part because that empire lasted long enough that we have some good examples of it today. Because the Byzantine Empire had very specific rules about what people could wear based on their place in society, we have a clear picture of who wore what types of embroidery. A linen and wool military tunic dated to sometime in the 4th or 5th century, for example, has repeating, isolated motifs embroidered on it in purple. High-ranking military officials had entire panels of their cloaks covered in embroidery, suggesting that the value of the handiwork
31:12 Tracy V. Wilson? was recognized, and the higher you were in rank, the more embellishment you could have. In the 7th and 8th centuries, heads of state wore large draped cloths around their torso called loros, and those were covered in embroidery that also incorporated gemstones.
31:31 Holly Frey? By the 5th century, Japan had picked up the embroidery tradition that began in China and started to develop their own unique styles. In Japan, early embroidery was almost all religious in nature, and embellished fabrics were usually pictures of Buddha. Those fabrics are known as shibutsu. These began as adornment for temples, and then over time, they were adopted as decor for private homes. In the 8th century, when Kyoto became the country's capital, embroidery experienced this huge surge in popularity as it started to be used as decoration for clothing, although at that point, only theatrical costumes and the clothing of the aristocracy included it. It expanded into use in religious
32:13 Holly Frey? garments in the 14th century, and then on to samurai uniforms in the 17th century. In the Edo period, embroidery became incredibly opulent and very detailed.
32:25 Tracy V. Wilson? Embroidery in Korea developed an estimated 2,000 years ago. One story is linked to the Silla Kingdom of the first century and Queen Jinduk, who had a special embroidery made featuring 100 Chinese characters with decoration to give to China's Tang Dynasty. Embroidery really started to flourish in Korea, starting in the 14th century during the Jossen Dynasty. And like China, four different styles of embroidery called chassu developed. There was pokshik chassu for clothing, hyong chassu for items used in the royal palace,
33:05 Tracy V. Wilson? kamsang chassu for styles of artistic work, and Buddhist chassu for temple decor. Within these styles, there are, of course, different stitching techniques to create the various designs and artwork created by the stitcher.
33:20 Holly Frey? During the Liao Dynasty in China, which lasted from 907 to 1125, an important heavily embroidered garment originated, which would become, in fact, so important in its role in court culture that it was eventually tightly regulated. And that is the dragon robe. The dragon robe, which is, as the name suggests, a garment with multiple dragons embroidered on it, as well as other motifs, is a long garment with an asymmetrical neckline closure. These robes have an incredibly rich history. People have written books on just them, but the design of them is what we're focusing on today. In 1759, a document titled "The Regulations for the Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Qing Dynasty" was completed after a decade of work.
34:05 Holly Frey? And that decade had been spent reviewing the styles of clothing worn at court, and specifically the dragon robes. And it came up with a very strict code of regulations as to how those garments could be worn and who could wear them going forward. And so for this reason, you will often see the origin of the dragon robe linked to the year 1759, because that is when the robes as we know them today were codified.
34:29 Tracy V. Wilson? Those 18th century regulations included things like the rule that only the emperor, the empress dowager, the empress, and first rank consorts could wear bright yellow.
34:41 Tracy V. Wilson? This had been a standard practice in previous dynasties, but it became a lot more rigid from this point on. Other colors were also regulated to various levels of status within the royal court, although people were not restricted to only those colors. The emperor did not only wear yellow, for example. Additionally, the embroidery designs on the robes were governed by rules. Five clawed dragons were only for men in the immediate royal family. Grandsons of the emperor, for example, were not considered immediate, and they could only wear dragons with four claws. Other symbols were also designated for different ranks.
35:22 Tracy V. Wilson? All of this regulation over the embroidery of court dress might seem fussy, but it served as a communication tool. A visiting dignitary would immediately know if he was speaking with one of the emperor's sons, for example.
35:37 Holly Frey? In the 7th and 8th centuries, embroidery in the British Isles really starts to be trackable, as religious orders started to employ it for garments. This needlework was typically performed by nuns and monks, and this was the beginning of a stitching tradition in England that would become a legacy tied closely to religion and royalty, and known for a high degree of proficiency in artistry. But the next piece that we're going to talk about has had some debate over the years regarding whether it was even made in England or not.
36:07 Tracy V. Wilson? That is a frequent subject on the show, which is that in 1077, one of the most famous pieces of embroidery in history was created, and that was the Baye Tapestry. This famous work of propaganda art depicts the period of time leading up to and including the Battle of Hastings, so from 1064 to 1066, and the conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy in 1066. The Tapestry, which is actually a massive embroidery piece, was the subject of a 2011 episode from prior hosts Sarah and Dublina. I think they also did an update on it. It's come up a bunch of times on Unearthed, including recently, so we will not rehash
36:51 Tracy V. Wilson? all of that stuff from that earlier episode from Sarah and Dublina. That mostly talks about the events leading up to the creation of this embroidery that are depicted in the stitches.
37:02 Holly Frey? So this piece of art combines the narrative account with allegorical imagery related to honor and loyalty. And those allegorical parts of it are along the border. And it is huge. It's 70 meters long. It's a little less than 230 feet. It's made up of nine panels of linen, which are stitched together into one. And this piece has had restoration work performed over the years, and it is not all great. One of the problems that has arisen with restoration work performed in the 19th century is that the newer wool fibers have not proven as color fast as the originals, which were dyed with Dyer's Woad, Madder, and Dyer's Rocket. While some of the original blue tones, which were created with Woad, have faded, overall, the original 10 colors are in pretty good shape.
37:47 Tracy V. Wilson? From a slightly more technical standpoint, there's an interesting type of stitch on the Bayeux Tapestry that's been called, at various times, Bayeux stitching. In addition to stem stitching, chain stitching, and split stitching, there is couching. Couching is a technique in which a cord or yarn doesn't pass through the backing fabric itself. It's stitched down with another piece of yarn or floss that does pass through the backing fabric. This can be used for a variety of design purposes, but in the case of the Bayeux Tapestry, it is the reason that the motifs and the characters and the bigger design have completely filled in sections, like the clothes on the characters.
38:33 Tracy V. Wilson? In those cases, there are rows and rows of couched yarns stitched closely together to form a solid block of color. If you look closely at photos of the Tapestry, you can clearly see this.
38:47 Holly Frey? And the kicker, of course, about this piece is that we don't know who embroidered it. It had to have been a team of people. And there's an often repeated but completely unsubstantiated version that William the Conqueror's wife, Queen Matilda, worked on it along with her ladies-in-waiting to commemorate and honor William's achievement. Most historians write that off as pure romanticism. The first known mention of the tapestry in writing appeared 400 years after its creation in an inventory note of the Bayeux Cathedral, describing it as "a very long and narrow hanging on which are embroidered figures and inscriptions comprising a representation of the conquest of England," and mentioning that this was used as a special occasion decoration.
39:31 Holly Frey? But it's a description of the piece. It doesn't say anything about its provenance, nothing of its history, other than "we own this." The more popular belief on its origin is that it was commissioned by William's half-brother, Bishop Odo of Bayeux, although that still leaves its craftspeople without any kind of credit. And there is debate about whether it was crafted in France or in England, with some scholars believing it was designed by monks at St. Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury.
40:00 Tracy V. Wilson? And a bit of good fortune, an interesting paper about the Bayeux Tapestry came out just as Holly was starting research on this episode. It's one that we mentioned briefly in our recent Unearthed. In this paper, titled "Chewing Over the Norman Conquest: The Bayeux Tapestry is Monastic Mealtime Reading," was written by Benjamin Paul and published in the periodical Historical Research. The writing starts from the idea that the tapestry was created in England and hung for a time in St. Augustine's Abbey. Paul's case is that the Bayeux Tapestry was always intended to be displayed in the Abbey of St. Augustine, and specifically that it was intended for the monastery dining hall.
40:42 Tracy V. Wilson? His argument is that it was to be displayed there as a piece of art for the monks to meditate on and perhaps be entertained by while they ate. He invokes the tapestry's size and compares it to a measure of a long, blank space in the abbey, and notes that these measurements more or less match up, suggesting that the uniquely long embroidery was made precisely to fit that space.
41:07 Tracy V. Wilson? He also notes that the position of the tapestry, if hung, as he describes, makes sense of the scale and the imagery and lettering. Quote, "Hung roughly at head height or slightly higher, the Bayeux Tapestry's details would have been perfectly discernible from the seated position assumed by the monks and their guests during mealtimes in the refectory." This is true not only of the artifact's intricate iconography, but also in especially of its textual inscriptions. The argument continues that this would have been a place of silence, with the exception of a reader, something visual to focus on would have made sense.
41:49 Tracy V. Wilson? So, kind of like an 11th century monk TV, there's a lot more in-depth discussion in the paper, or that paper will be linked in the show notes. And as we mentioned on that recent installment of Unearthed, this is very speculative and it came out of a class assignment that was designed to come up with possible scenarios to explain the providence of this famous work.
42:10 Holly Frey? Incidentally, and we mentioned this briefly on Unearthed as well, as we record this in early 2026, the Bayeux Tapestry is not on display at the Bayeux Museum, or anywhere right this moment. The museum is undergoing a multi-year renovation and is expected to reopen in mid to late 2027, but from September 2026 until July 2027, it is going to be on loan to the British Museum. The Bayeux Tapestry is a UNESCO-registered memory of the world, and it is priceless. So this loan is a huge deal. I think we also mentioned that the British Museum had to insure it for 800 million pounds, which is like a billion dollars. I'm getting weepy over embroidery.
42:54 Holly Frey? The cool thing is if you can't make it to London to see it, or Bayeux, you can check out the entire thing online. It's a scrollable digital file at the Bayeux Museum's website. You can look for couching, it's very obvious.
43:09 Holly Frey? This is where we're going to end part one of this episode. When we start part two, we will pick up right where we left off and talk about embroidery and the writing of Chaucer, and we'll finally get to the discussion of samplers. I have listener mail and it's embroidery related. Hooray. Hooray. I'm on target. Uh, this is from our listener Katie who writes, hi Holly and Tracy. We just heard the episode about cranberries and of course enjoyed it. Did you ever hear of the books set in the fictional town of Cranberry Port? They're among the favorites of my family's holiday collections. Yes, even with teens. Cranberry Thanksgiving, Cranberry Christmas, et cetera, by Wendy and Harry Devlin. Feature Maggie, her grandmother, their carefree neighbor, Mr. Whiskers and the town grouch,
43:52 Holly Frey? Mr. Grape, along with others. The stories are very sweet. All the books include a recipe for a cranberry treat. I did not know about these books, but that sounds adorable. No pets, but here's a work in progress sewing picture of a big cross stitch piece based, as you can see, on motifs from the Haunted Mansion. One of my favorites, and I think it's Holly's too. Best wishes, Katie. It is. Um, and this is very cool. She is working this really beautiful piece that is going to be, when it's completed, a design that includes the stretching room portraits, but laid out in a circular fashion around almost like a, a big clock face. The clock, the famous clock, you know, if you know, um, is featured on it.
44:35 Holly Frey? And I can already see the gravedigger and his dog, which is the most upsetting piece of that attraction for me, and the opera singers, and I bet it's going to be spectacular. So Katie, I hope you send me a picture when it's all done, because we love some Haunted Mansion here in my house, that's for sure. Um, if you would like to send us pictures of your embroidery, or really anything else, uh, you can do that at [email protected] . And if you haven't subscribed to the show and you want to, make sure you get part two. Uh, you could do that on the iHeartRadio app or anywhere you listen to your favorite shows.
45:13 Tracy V. Wilson? Stuff You Missed in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
45:27 Holly Frey? A rare disease diagnosis can change your life, but it doesn't have to define your future. In season seven of Untold Stories: Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition, host Martine Hackett continues the conversation with people living with MG, CIDP, and the broader rare disease community, exploring what comes after diagnosis through stories of hope, progress, and connection. Produced by Ruby Studio in partnership with Argenx. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
45:58 Tracy V. Wilson? Whether you're calling the wise women in your life, video calling your girlfriends across the country, or checking in on someone who always knows how to make you smile, staying connected matters. Those small conversations, shared laughs, and quick hellos are what keep relationships strong even when life gets busy. Some of the most life-giving conversations start with just a phone call. That's why AT&T guarantees the network you can rely on, so you can focus on the moments and people that matter most. That's the AT&T Guarantee. AT&T: Connecting changes everything. Terms and conditions apply. Visit att.com/guarantee for details.
46:36 Speaker 08 Live Right, publishers of John U. Bacon's New York Times bestseller, The Gales of November, a chronicle of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald's 1975 shipwreck. Never has it been told better than by Mr. Bacon in this colorful book, writes John J. Miller of the Wall Street Journal, while author Hampton Sides proclaims that it's destined to be a classic. The Gales of November, now in paperback.
47:03 Tracy V. Wilson? Long hours, work deadlines, family commitments, you give so much to everyone else. Isn't it time to invest in yourself? The University of Arizona Global Campus is built for working adults with flexible online degree programs designed to fit your life. Your previous education, training, and eligible experience may even help you earn college credit. At UAGC, you can take one accelerated course at a time, helping you move toward your goals in five- and six-week class formats. Visit uagc.edu today. This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human.
Previous SYMHC Classics: Paul Cuffe Next Embroidery History Sampler, Part 2 Page updated October 31, 2026 · transcript and summary are machine-generated