Elizabeth Isham, the Isham collection, and experiences of making in early modern England

The autobiographical writing of English noblewoman Elizabeth Isham (1609–1654) includes over two hundred references to her handiwork. Elizabeth recounts her use of dozens of stitching techniques, as well as her engagement in spinning, dyeing, knitting, finger work and lacemaking. These references illustrate her fluency in making and the significance textile crafts held in her experience of domestic life. Despite Elizabeth’s written legacy, her presence now at Lamport Hall, the family estate she rarely left in her lifetime, is minimal. Even her burial site is unmarked. The Isham collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum is connected to the same Ishams of Lamport Hall and comprises thirty-three items of dress and textile. This article argues that the collection, most of which can be dated to within Elizabeth’s lifetime, provides tangible evidence of her dress production and illustrates materially her written expressions of making. Despite the ample crossover between the techniques Elizabeth cites and those on display in the Isham collection, these items of dress have not been analysed in the context of Elizabeth’s written legacy of skilled and prolific textile production. Elizabeth’s making is a powerful thread which underpins her reflections, choices, and experiences. Reading these experiences of making alongside objects that can be connected to Lamport Hall offers an unique opportunity to faithfully illustrate Elizabeth’s words through items of dress that she saw, handled, and even adorned or constructed.