FIRST FRIDAY BOOK CLUB | EMBROIDERING HER TRUTH: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power by Clare Hunter

Join The Friends for another lively First Friday Book Club.

At her execution Mary, Queen of Scots, wore red, to symbolise herself as the Catholic symbol of martyrdom. In an era when textiles expressed power Mary utilised them to emphasise matters that were important to her.

As the prospective wife of the French Dauphin she wore lavish embroidered gowns to convey an image, at the Scottish court she displayed fashion dolls to encourage a Marian style of dressing and in captivity she embroidered subversive messages for her supporters. Mary found textiles provided a way to advance her political agenda and tell her own story.

CLARE HUNTER has provided a fascinating cultural biography intertwining history, politics and textiles, drawing on her expertise as a textile artist and a curator.

HUNTER, Clare, EMBROIDERING HER TRUTH: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power, Sceptre, 2022

Image: Supplied