Once Upon a Time

Ann Macbeth — Once Upon a Time — 1902

Ann Macbeth was best known in her time for outstanding embroidery and needleweaving, wielding a needle like an illustrator wields a pen. But she learned to use the pen first, sharpening her drawing skills before turning to textiles. Her drawing samples are very hard to find — the one above rendered when she was 27 years old, while a student at the Glasgow School of Art, yet starting to teach in the embroidery department.