Stitches from Paintings Past: What Art Can Tell Us About Historical Knitting

Long before there was photography to record images of the world, artists captured glimpses of their times in painting, tapestries, and other forms of art. As we research the history of knitting, art can fill in gaps left by spotty historical records. Wool yarn and wooden needles decompose, but an oil painting has staying power. As one art student put it, “Art from the past holds clues to life in the past. By looking at a work of art’s symbolism, colors, and materials, we can learn about the culture that produced it” (see note 1).