Gallery Tour: Military Embroidery

To mark London Craft Week, curator Mel O’Brien-Price introduces some of the finest examples of military embroidery on display at the Museum.

Embroidery has been used in a military context for millennia. It has helped to distinguish between opposing forces on the battlefield, signalled seniority, and adorned the ceremonial uniforms that have long featured in both royal and public displays of military power. 

It has also been embraced by individual soldiers, who have utilised it as a way to pass the time while on campaign or as a gift for a loved one back home.

Mel O’Brien-Price will showcase the most striking examples on display in the galleries, from ornate colours, standards and guidons that once served as rallying points on the battlefield to the intricate embroidery found on Army uniforms and the personal creations of soldiers across the globe.

The tour will last approximately one hour.