Dating from the early 18th to the late 19th century, these embroidered pictures were made by girls (and occasionally boys) as part of their education.

Scottish samplers are unique with regard to the amount of information that can be gathered from them. They often include the initials of extended family members as well as details of buildings, places and events, leading to the identification of almost all of these young embroiderers.

In some cases years of meticulous research has revealed their unique stories. The Durst collection is therefore a truly unique record of two centuries of Scottish social history.