Wool Gallery

Thrift rug, 1943. Creator: Unknown

Thrift rug, 1943. Made from vegetable dyed woollen scraps by a member of a Shropshire Institute'. Woven rug made from recycled materials during the Second World War. The Women's Institute (WI) was formed in Britain 1915 to revitalise rural communities and encourage women to become more involved in producing food during the First World War. The organisation broadened its aims to provide women with educational opportunities, learn new skills, take part in a wide variety of activities and to campaign on social issues that matter to them and their communities. It is non-sectarian and non-party political, and is the largest voluntary women's organisation in the UK. From "Women's Institutes, by Cicely McCall. [Collins, London, 1943]

© The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Icon of the Virgin and Child, 500s. Creator: Unknown

Icon of the Virgin and Child, 500s. This tapestry glorifying the Virgin Mary is among the rarest objects in the museum's collection. In a composition borrowed from imperial Byzantine art, Mary is shown seated on a jeweled throne with the Christ child and flanked by archangels Michael and Gabriel. Above, Christ appears in a radiant light supported by two angels. Portraits of the apostles, identified in Greek, appear in the surrounding wreath symbolizing eternal life. This portable sacred textile was presumably displayed at the front of a public or private place of worship. This unique tapestry is one of the earliest Christian icons to survive. Woven icons were among the miraculous works shown to pilgrims in Jerusalem according to Abbot Adomnan of Iona (about 624-704) who described a linen cloth "said to have been woven by Saint Mary, and is for this reason preserved in a church and venerated by the whole population. Pictures of the twelve apostles are woven into it, and there is also a portrait of the Lord." The abbot's description of the woven icon suggests it must have been similar to the tapestry displayed here. The delicate effects of shading in the facial features, garments, and vegetation were achieved by weaving the panel sideways with at least 20 colours, just as medieval tapestry weavers did centuries later in Europe. The high cost of dyes caused this majestic icon to be far costlier than painted images

© Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Woman knitting, c1950. Creator: Shirley Markham

Woman knitting, c1950. Shirley Markham (1931-1999) studied Graphic Design and Illustration at Central School of Art in London from 1950-1952. The writer, artist, poet, and illustrator Mervyn Peake (1911-1968) was one of her tutors, and her style of drawing was also influenced by other British illustrators such as Edward Ardizzone, Quentin Blake and Edward Bawden. Markham spent time in the Dolomite Mountains in Italy, and also visited Rome, sketching classical buildings. After graduating from Central, she worked as a graphic designer, producing book illustrations, cartoons for comics, menus and programmes. She gave up her promising career however when she got married in 1957. Middle-class women at that time were expected to devote their energies to bringing up children and running the home, and despite her obvious talent, she lacked the confidence to return to illustration. Her portfolio remained in the family attic for many years, but now her work is published here for the first time

© Shirley Markham Collection / Heritage-Images