Dressed in chintz-patterned dressed and draped in cashmere shawls, 19^th and 20^th century women were keen to collect and consume the products of the British Empire. Curating their homes to feature South Asian, Middle Eastern and “Orientalist” forms of needlework, middle and upper-class British women were vital actors within the colonial ecosystem.

‘Embroidering Empire’ examines how these women engaged with ideas of coloniality through the needlework they bought and made, with a specific focus on the collection of the Royal School of Needlework. Established in 1872, the RSN has developed a large and highly-specialised collection of global embroidery, collected by aristocrats, female travellers, artists and students. This provides an opportunity to investigating why needlework became a vehicle for promoting imperialist ideas through dress and design, and why embroidery was an “appropriate” way for women to engage in colonial pursuits.

A primary aspect of my research will be analysing and cataloguing a book of textile samples, collected by the 1890s traveller Georgina Annie Smith. Exploring Europe and South Asia with her Brigadier-General husband, Georgina collated samples of needlework ranging from the 7^th to the 19^th century. This book mirrors both the spaces of the Victorian woman’s wardrobe, home, and of national museums, making it an ideal entry point for questioning how women saw themselves as agents of Britain’s colonial project.