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 too 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.
It was common from the middle of the 18th century, to paint floors. (Design: Cooperstown, New York, 1830).
Lace Samples by Catherine Kent, Cork, 1802. Boys and girls worked samplers when at home. This meticulous work taught them discipline.
Embroidery Stretcher, oak, with a box for thread, in traditional 18th century style.
Embroidery design taken from a Walkers Hibernian Magazine, 1783.
ALSO ON THE ATTIC FLOOR: