Behind common sampler motifs are deeper meanings. If you know of the symbolism behind a sampler motif or other symbol, please let me know. Much thanks to Brenda Gouws from Africa for her help in getting this section started, and Gail Wheatley for adding many other symbols.
If you stitch one of these symbols for a friend, let her know what the meaning is behind the symbol. It makes your gift extra special!
Acorns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fertility, life; used in borders as a
decorative element; associated with exiled
Stuart family in England
Adam/Eve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Good/Evil
Angel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Messenger of God
Animals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .An allegory of virtues and vices
Apple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Love/Fertility
Artichoke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Getting to the heart of the matter one
leaf at a time.
Basket of flowers. . . . . . . . . . .Friendship and love
Basket of fruit . . . . . . . . . . . Fertility, wealth, health and happiness
Bee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hope
Bell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Music, joyous occasion
Birds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Spirits of the air; symbol of the soul in
ancient Egypt, which carried over into
Christianity.
Bird carrying a letter . . . . . . . .A declaration of love
Birds on floral branches. . . . . . . Love of nature
Bows (ribbons) . . . . . . . . . . . .A secret beau/love
Butterfly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Liberation, resurrection, a new beginning
Butterfly and Moth . . . . . . . . . .Inconstancy, immorality, joy, playfulness
and pleasure.
Candle/Candlestick. . . . . . . . . . Devotion/Prayer
Carnation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . True and passionate love; poverty and love
Cat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Idleness
Chairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Diligence, hospitality and domesticity
Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Existence of God on earth
Cherry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fruit of paradise, also the departed
Cherry tree branch . . . . . . . . . .Fertility, wealth, health and happiness
Cock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Watchfulness and penitence
Columbine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Holy Spirit
Crab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The unconscious
Cross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Faith in Christ, also world's axis
Cross, heart, anchor . . . . . . . . .Christian symbols, faith, love, hope
Crown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eternity (German), monarchy (British),
sovereignty (divine and earthly); fidelity
(crowns and coronets, denoting ranks of the
nobility appeared on marked linen)
Crowned heart . . . . . . . . . . . . Love
Daffodil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .National Emblem of Wales
Daisy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Humility; faithlessness (see Hamlet,
Ophelia's mad scene, which is full of
flowers -- she gives one to Hamlet's mother
who married a second husband one month
after her first husband's death)
Dog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fidelity and watchfulness
Dove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Charity, mercy and peace; love associated
with Venus/Aphrodite, goddess of love,
because she had a chariot drawn by doves.
The dove is also a Christian symbol for
the Holy Spirit.
Duck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Marital Fidelity
Eagle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . National emblem of America; appears almost
exclusively on American samplers
Falcon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pride/Nobility
Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Romance, flirtation
Flowers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nature
Flowers (one full flower, one bud) . .Mother and child
Forget-me-nots . . . . . . . . . . . .Loyalty and friendship
Fruit tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The apple was the ancient symbol of love
and fertility; Armenian samplers depict
seven apples representing the seven deadly
sins
Garland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Victory/Merit Goose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stupidity/Gullibility
Hare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Timidity
Harp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Purity/Music
Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Love; divine love
Heart with key . . . . . . . . . . . .Someone who has the key to one's heart
Heart pierced with arrow . . . . . . .Love conquers all
Heart with cross and anchor . . . . . Faith (cross), Hope (anchor) and Love
(heart)
Honeysuckle . . . . . . . . . . . . . Enduring faith; traditionally connected
with averting the evil eye; used in borders
as a decorative element
Horn of plenty. . . . . . . . . . . . Health, generosity, high yield, fertility
Horse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fertility
Horseshoe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Good fortune
Hour glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Passing of time
House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Often the home of the embroiderer, or, if
the sampler was sewn by a young person, the
school
Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St. Peter, fidelity
Leek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .National Emblem of Wales Lily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Purity, chastity; innocence Lion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Strength, steadfastness, courage and hope
Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Often depicted with a bird perched on his
hand; the male figure symbolizes marital
fidelity
Man and Woman . . . . . . . . . . . . Together, often holding a garland, the two
figures symbolize marriage
Marigold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rays of light
Monkey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laziness/Mischief
Oak leaves . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Associated with exiled Stuart family in
England
Octagon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nature
Olive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peace and goodwill
Owl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wisdom and learning; also used as a symbol
for the devil
Paired birds . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eternal life, descended from a motif of
"two doves on the holy mountain"
Pansy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Good thoughts; thinking of you
Parrot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Talkativeness and gossip
Peacock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ostentation, vanity, luxury; eternal life
(because their flesh was thought not to
decay)
Pelican . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Piety, and signifies death and resurrection
Pineapple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hospitality. The sailors on the East Coast
would put pineapples in their windows
to signal their return home.
Plant patterns . . . . . . . . . . . .Christian virtues
Pomegranate . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hope of eternal life
Rabbit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gentleness
Ribbons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A secret beau/love
Ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Union
Roses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Love and beauty, sacred to Venus in
pre-Christian times, it later became a
symbol for the Virgin Mary; pagan symbol
for love
Saint Margaret (often with dragon) . .Patron Saint of childbirth
Scales and sword . . . . . . . . . . .Justice
Shamrock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .National Emblem of Ireland
Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Venus/goddess of love, good fortune
Ship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hope, or soul's voyabe to a safe haven;
also a marriage emblem
Snake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reward/Wickedness
Spies of Canaan or Grapebearers . . . These two figures represent Joshua and
Caleb, spies sent by Moses into Canaan;
they also symbolize the Jews and Gentiles;
the hanging grapes refer to Christ
Spinning monkey . . . . . . . . . . . Folly, laziness, lechery and vanity; in
Dutch samplers, a symbol of the devil
Square . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nature
Squirrel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mischief
Stag or Hart . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gentleness and pride
Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bravery and patriotism; eight-pointed star
is a symbol of Bethlehem; six-pointed star
is a Jewish
Stork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parental Love/Bringer of Happiness
Strawberry . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A perfect fruit (because there's no rind or
pit to throw away); perfect righteousness;
used in borders for a decorative element;
associated with Christ
Strawberry Blossom . . .. . . . . . . Purity, foresight
Swan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bird of love; also represents a good death
Thistle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scottish royalty/ancestry, protection
Three carnations . . . . . . . . . . .3 nails of Jesus
Tortoise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Strength/Slowness
Tree of Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . Most common motif, sometimes flankned by
Adam and Eve or by animals and birds
Tulip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Appears mostly on Dutch samplers as a
symbol of perfect love; Pennsylvania Dutch
samplers as a symbol of the Holy Trinity
Unicorn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chastity/Purity
Vase of carnations . . . . . . . . . .Luck Violet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Humility, innocence, modesty
Weathercock . . . . . . . . . . . . . Preacher
Weeping willow . . . . . . . . . . . .Sorrow and dejection of the bereaved and
refers particularly to the early death of
Princess Charlotte, the only child of
George IV
Wild Pansy or Trinity Violet . . . . .These were favorites of Queen Elizabeth of
England
Windmill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Found mainly on Dutch samplers; often shown
in country scenes together with livestock
Woman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Frequently seen holding a palm branch, the
female figure is a symbol of life
Wreath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eternity
Wreath of roses . . . . . . . . . . . True frienship and love
© 2007 Theresa Venette. Articles on this site may be reproduced in needlework group newsletters or other handouts with permission of author and proper attribution. Send questions, comments and suggestions to: xspeddler@yahoo.com