"Penelope Unraveling Her Work at Night"
This large-scale embroidery is thought to be the sole remaining example of what Candace Wheeler (1827-1923) called "needlewoven tapestry." As early as 1880, she and her associates were producing these subtly embroidered works that were as carefully modulated as paintings. In 1882, Candace Wheeler had patented the technique, in which stitches are passed in and out of the web of a loosely woven silk canvas (also patented by Wheeler), giving the appearance of a traditionally woven tapestry. Candace's daughter, Dora, created this design of Odysseus' faithful wife Penelope while studying painting in Paris and designed numerous other needlewoven tapestries depicting female figures from literature; most of them, however, have completely disintegrated. Although this piece has substantially faded and the fibers have begun to break, the essential image remains intact.
Artwork Details
- Title: "Penelope Unraveling Her Work at Night"
- Maker: Dora Wheeler (1856–1940)
- Maker: Associated Artists (1883–1907)
- Date: 1886
- Geography: Made in New York, New York, United States
- Culture: American
- Medium: Silk embroidered with silk thread
- Dimensions: 45 x 68 in. (114.3 x 172.7 cm)
- Credit Line: Purchase, Sylvia and Leonard Marx Gift and funds from various donors, 2002
- Object Number: 2002.230
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
More Artwork
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Dora Wheeler
1888
George A. Schastey & Co.
George A. Schastey
1881–82
Multiple artists/makers
1883–87
Herter Brothers
1867–69
Louis C. Tiffany
Samuel Colman
ca. 1891–92
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