The Needles Excellency: John Taylor in Perspective

The Needles Excellency is one of the few books widely considered to have been published specifically for British women during the seventeenth century. As such, it is regularly referred to by historians of topics such as women’s history, textile history, art history, and book history. This thesis takes on the task of filling out the history of and around The Needles Excellency, including exploring the context of its author John Taylor’s sexism, the popularity of needlework pattern books, and his intended audience(s). England was a deeply patriarchal society and that influenced everything from the formation of Taylor’s views, to his approach to his audience, and their reception of his writing. As one of the first English authors to make his living by his pen, he intentionally wrote to reach a wide audience, but also to target those he thought might become new patrons. Success in these strategies allowed him to rise from his life as a labourer to move in circles with aristocracy