Needlework Picture: “The Finding of Moses in the River Nile”

“Berlin work” pictures, such as this one, named for the vividly colored German worsted wools used in their making, became popular in America during the mid-nineteenth century. Not strictly a schoolgirl embroidery, this type of needlework picture was practiced by women of varying ages, using a single stitch—most often cross stitch or tent stitch—on a linen or canvas ground. Patterns were commercially produced or outlined by a professional pattern drawer, following printed designs. Finished embroideries were used as cushions, furniture covers, or framed decoration for the home.

Mary Ann’s large and elaborate composition depicts “The Finding of Moses in the River Nile” (Exodus 2:1-10). Standing near the riverbank, Pharaoh’s daughter, wearing a red cape, gestures toward the infant Moses as women from her court look on. Seated among the bulrushes, Moses is cradled in the arms of his sister Miriam; his papyrus reed basket still rests in the river. The two are protected by the female personification of the Nile. Donated to the Met by the maker’s granddaughter, this intricately detailed Berlin work represents the popularity of pictorial domestic embroidery in the years before and after the American Civil War.