The Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine Craftwork Index

An open-access research and pedagogical resource of craftwork material based on newly digitized and cataloged material from one early, affordable women's magazine in Britain.

by Dr. Julie M. Sorge Way, 2025

Searchable Index

illustration of lines of data in the spreadsheet

[ Index of craftwork material from the EDM. ]

This is a searchable spreadsheet of over 6,000 individual craftwork and fashion items cataloged between 1852 and 1879 with links to open-access digitized copies for each.

For material on other EDM topics, consult the [ Complete Index of EDM Material ]

Pedagogical Examples

Example EDM Craftwork Material Case Studies, with discussion questions

[ Embroidery Alphabets & Monograms: Recipes for Remix ]

[ The Railway Travelling Bag: Item for Inquiry ]

[ A Writing Desk: Item for Inquiry ]

Open Educational Resources

Adaptable course materials based on these EDM Craftwork tools.

[ Craftwork Analysis Project (Assignment Description and In-Class Group Scaffolded Project) ]

[ Questions for Feminist Analysis of Historic Periodical Materal (a list of questions to help students frame beginning inquiry) ]

MIT Open Courseware Assignments on Digital Humanities and New Textiles (including student makerspace examples)

[ View Other EDM OER Materials not specific to Craftwork ]

Historical Craftwork Guides

These publications from the period may be of use to those wishing to understand terminology and craftwork understanding at the time of the EDM Craftwork material above.

[ Frances Lambert's The Hand-Book of Needlework (1842) ]

[ Matilda Pullan's The Lady's Manual of Fancy-Work (1858) ]

[ Beeton's Book of Needlework (1870) ]

[ Many more such instructional materials are catalogued at the Antique Pattern Library (from Metaverse Libraries, Canada) ]

FMH Special Issue: "Craftwork and the Digital"

Special Issue of Feminist Media Histories which will feature material on this topic. (Link forthcoming.)

Questions?

What research project does this come from?

How can I read the original project?

Can I use, adapt, or remix these materials in my own work?

How can I contact the author?

View image attribution information






Acknowledgements:
Research forming the foundation of this project was completed with funding and support from a range of sources, including a 2024 Patrick Leary Field Development Grant and 2022 Curran Fellowship from the Research Society for Victorian Periodicals, and graduate funding support from the Graduate School of Old Dominion University. I am also grateful for research support from the librarians and archivists of The New York Public Library's Arents Collection, the London School of Economics and Political Science Women's Library, The National Art Library of the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the British Library, as well as the Museum of the Home, London.

Broken Links? Noticed a Problem?
Please let me know: juliesorgeway at gmail

This page was developed and improved with the accessibility recommendations of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1.

To read more on this topic, see Marissa Sapega's 2020 article "The History of Digital Accessibility and Why It Matters".

Last updated September 14, 2025.