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Although best known for its pottery department, the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College was also acclaimed for its embroidery department, which opened in 1902. Unlike pottery, needlework had long been an entirely feminine craft. Most women learned how to do some form of needlework at an early age from their mothers. In pottery, men commonly shaped the pieces while women did the decorating. Needleworkers on the other hand, were responsible for their embroideries from start to finish. Artisans crafted designs for textiles in a similar fashion to ceramics, with designs first sketched in pencil and then rendered in watercolor. This object is courtesy of Dianne Ayres & Tim Hanson - Arts & Crafts Period Textiles. Learn more about #artsandcrafts in "At Home with #ArtsandCrafts" on display pre-security, in the International Terminal. http://bit.ly/SFOArtsandCrafts This image was posted on May 26, 2017.