Leicester’s Mary Linwood was a celebrity artist in the early 1800s but has largely been forgotten. Contemporary textile artist Ruth Singer is exploring the life and legacy of Linwood for a major new project and exhibition in 2025.
Mary Linwood made detailed embroidered versions of famous paintings by British artists in a technique called needle painting. Linwood was an innovator and entrepreneur as well as a talented artist. Alongside her Leicester school for young ladies, she exhibited her embroidered works in touring exhibitions and created the first gallery to be run by a woman in London.
In her lifetime she was supported by the wealthy and powerful and very well-known and respected. Since her death she has been ignored and undervalued.
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Exhibition
Mary Linwood: Art, Stitch & Life
13th September 2025 – 22nd February 2026
Leicester Museum & Art Gallery, 53 New Walk, Leicester, LE1 7EA
Over the last two years I have been researching the life and work of Mary Linwood for this exhibition. Alongside curating the exhibition’s museum collections, I have created new artworks in response to her story. I’ve also co-ordinated two collaborative projects (below) made with people in Leicestershire and beyond.
This exhibition is the first retrospective of Mary Linwood’s artworks since 1951. It will elevate Linwood back to the position she deserves: the most successful British woman artist of her time.
Catalogue
Lost Threads: Mary Linwood’s Legacy by Ruth Singer
60 page A5 booklet covering the Mary Linwood: Art, Stitch & Life exhibition. This catalogue includes image of all the Mary Linwood embroideries featured in the exhibition including several close up details and the reverse of several too. There is also a section on Ruth’s own work for the exhibition.
Community projects
Our two pre-exhibition projects are now concluded. Both are included in the exhibition.
Blog posts
Moving The Needle
The under-appreciated originality of Mary Linwood (1755-1845) This essay is inspired by the prompt of Originality, posed by Beth Kempton on Substack for the Summer of Substack Essay Festival. You are welcome to subscribe to my substack but for now I…
Mary Linwood and Me
Behind the scenes for the last couple of years, I’ve been trying to make an exciting project happen. I’ve wanted to share the story of embroiderer Mary Linwood for even longer than that. I’m finally making it happen. Over the next…
Connected Threads community textile project
The first event in the Mary Linwood project took place at The Big Textile Show in Leicester last weekend. Remembering Mary Linwoodand generations of unknown stitchers A community textile project in celebration of Mary Linwood,Leicester’s forgotten 18th century embroidery celebrity! -…
Rediscovering Mary Linwood Creative Activities Day
Find out more about the embroidery artist Mary Linwood at this free event hosted by textile artist Ruth Singer. Saturday 29th March 11am-3pm at St Margaret’s Church, Leicester The day includes: Entry to the historic church and all activities FREE. St…
It’s nearly time..
Mary Linwood; Art, Stitch & Life exhibition opens this weekend! After almost two years of work, the biggest exhibition of my life is almost ready. It’s been a real joy to work with the incredible embroideries of Mary Linwood and to…
Podcast episodes
Mary Linwood and Me: Making Meaning podcast Episode 45
This short episode is a brief introduction to my research project about 18th century embroidery artist Mary Linwood. The episode includes a very short history about her, and then details of the community projects I’m running over the next few months,…
Deb McGuire / Mary Linwood: Making Meaning podcast Episode 49
Deb McGuire is back! We recording a long conversation and I’ve split it into two episodes, of which this is the second. I suggest you start with Episode 48 first, as that’s where Deb introduces herself and her work. This is…
Dr Heidi Strobel: Making Meaning Podcast Episode 56
Dr Heidi Strobel is my guest in episode 56 about Mary Linwood. Heidi joined me from The University of North Texas, USA where she is is Professor of Art History. She is also the author of Mary Linwood: Embroidery, Installation, and…
Dr Isabella Rosner: Making Meaning Podcast Episode 55
Episode 55 is more of the summer of stitch series, this time with the brilliant Dr Isabella Rosner, Royal School of Needlework curator, podcaster and all round historic embroidery enthusiast. She has been part of the Mary Linwood fan club for years…
Find out more about Mary Linwood
Book: The Art of Mary Linwood, Embroidery, Installation and Entrepreneurship in Britain 1787-1845. Heidi Strobel, Bloomsbury 2024.
Mary Linwood’s Balancing Act, Heidi A. Strobel at Art Herstory
Textile Research Collection: Leiden Embroidered paintings by Mary Linwood (1755-1845)
About Margaret Ansell, another needle painter
Explore Mary Linwood in these collections:
V&A: Miss Mary Linwood, Artist in Needlework | Napoleon Bonaparte | Miss Linwood | Miss Linwood | Miss Linwood | Picture | Miss Linwood | View of Mary Linwood’s gallery | Lions and Lionesses
Yale: Miss Linwood’s Gallery of pictures in worsted : Leicester Square | Tygress
Royal Collection Trust: Salvator Mundi, after Carlo Dolci
Current / recent exhibitions:Tate Britain, as part of Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain 1520 – 1920
The Bowes Museum, as part of Stories in Stitch: Embroidered treasures of The Bowes Museum
Mary Linwood portrait in pastel by John Russell (from which her embroidery was taken)
Ruth Singer 