Mexican Sampler Oversize Structured Tote

Our large canvas tote bag borrows the charming secular and religious images from a Mexican sampler in The Met collection. Popular between the 17th and early 20th centuries, embroidered cloths known as samplers would showcase the needlework proficiency of the young women who typically crafted them, often exhibiting various decorative patterns, symbols, alphabets, and verses. The original is embellished with radiant floral motifs and bursting bouquets; dogs, birds, and butterflies; and a trio of sacred hearts—indicating the artisan’s Catholic heritage—beneath an inscription to their beloved parents, dated December 20, 1861.