A piece of needlework demonstrating skill with various stitches.
Embroidered panel, originally one on which various types of stitches or motifs had been worked to serve as models or samples. Since the 16th century the term has been used to mean a panel worked in various stitches to demonstrate the skill of the maker.
The earliest surviving samplers date from 1625–50 and are worked in colored silks on a linen ground, with geometric patterns and stylized birds and flowers. From the 18th century it was popular for children to incorporate the letters of the alphabet, pieces of text, their own name, and the date of completion.