Join 2026 E. Geoffrey and Elizabeth Thayer Verney NHA Research Fellow
Through the lens of known and recently discovered schoolgirl samplers, Dr. Lynne Anderson will explore the 18th and 19th century educational opportunities on Nantucket for daughters of the island’s Quaker community. In addition to demonstrating skill with a needle, Quaker girlhood embroideries document the presence of schools and teachers, provide records of family lineage, and reveal personal, as well as family and community values. In this richly illustrated presentation, excerpts from Quaker meeting records, diaries, letters, and inventories provide historical context to the impact of female education on Nantucket’s early social, political, and cultural life.
