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While writing about linen showers, I was reminded of the most elegant of bridal gifts – Irish damask monogrammed with the initials of the newlyweds. As much as the wedding announcement and ceremony, monogrammed linens convey two individuals have become a couple. A monogrammed textile is a statement of sophistication and elegance.
D.G. Berri’s 1869 treatise on Monograms, Historical and Practical traces monograms back to antiquity, citing examples found on Roman coins and incised on pyramid stones. Monograms were not the sole privilege of aristocrats. “Monograms have a close connexion [sic] with heraldic devices, as being marks of cognizance to those who were not entitled to coat armour.…” For semi-literate merchants and craftsmen, monograms served as signatures. On cathedrals throughout England, one might find a carved signature carved into stone and tucked barely out of sight.
Generously illustrated, Monograms, Historical and Practical includes several color inset plates depicting the monogram used by Michelangelo; others show how monogram styles changed across the centuries. Published in 1869, Berri’s work was long considered the standard for designers. “A monogram is said to be ‘perfect’ when every letter, or principal letters, in a name can be clearly distinguished, even though a part of one letter should have to do duty for another.”
For contemporary collectors, most of the monogrammed textiles we might find in the wild will date from the late Victorian through the Georgian periods.
To help stitchers create a perfect monogram, tools helped with styling, placement, and stitching. And while I do collect monogrammed linens, I find the tools equally appealing. Toward the end of the nineteenth century, German manufacturers began producing copper and tin stencils that helped embroiders trace more complex monograms. Using blue powder, the monogram could be transferred onto damask or linen with a pounce or a brush.
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Trusogram patented “the Jewel for your Linens” in 1928. The pre-embroidered letters, described as “improving with washing,” required only careful basting to achieve the elegant look of hand-embroidered monograms. As designers perfected heat-sensitive inks, iron-on transfers became the preferred method used by embroiderers. And, of course, eventually handwork was replaced by embroidery machines.
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In the 1970s, there was a surge for monogrammed items; it seemed that every bit of clothing, accessory, or travel bag was fair game for a machine-embroidered monogram. The trend for monogramming has never really disappeared. Traditionalists insist that monogrammed linens always will be de rigueur for entertaining.
Over the past two hundred years, the etiquette for styling a monogram hasn’t changed much. Southern Living offers a comprehensive guide for monogram styles, including the tricky business of married couples with different surnames or for individuals with several middle names.