The Governess Room

The live-in teacher or governess would come from a respectable background, but may have been without property or fortune in her own right, and in a precarious financial and social position. When her charges had grown, a governess would find another position, so it was important for her to be employed by a good family.

When a governess became to old to work and remained unmarried, she could have faced destitution. In Dublin in the nineteenth century a charitable home for the care of aged governesses was established in Marlborough Street, later moving to Harcourt Terrace.

Painted Floor

It was common from the middle of the 18th century, to paint floors. (Design: Cooperstown, New York, 1830).

Lace Samples

Lace Samples by Catherine Kent, Cork, 1802 and 1803. Boys and girls worked samplers when at home. This meticulous work taught them discipline.

Embroidery & Stretcher

Embroidery Stretcher, Oak, with a box for thread, in traditional 18th century style. Embroidery design taken from a Walkers Hibernian Magazine, 1783.