Woven portrait of Robert Burns

In celebration of soon approaching Burns Night, let’s take a closer look at this peculiar portrait of Burns from our collection. This portrait is not a drawing nor a print but is, in fact, a woven picture known as a stevengraph. Stevengraphs were invented by Thomas Stevens, a silk ribbon weaver from Coventry, in the 1860s. Similarly to weavers in Dunfermline, silk weavers in Coventry were going through hard times during that era. Due to the decline in the silk weaving industry and drapery trade, many of Coventry’s damask weavers had to diversify their production. Stevens’ invention was a result of that.

Let’s make!

Create your own woven portrait of Robert Burns by weaving along with Kirke in this video!

Download Robert Burns template used in this craft video by clicking here.