tablecloth / British Army, 1840s

Table cover, Irish, 1833 to 1853. Appliqué work. Felt on felt applied with buttonhole and chain stitch in linen thread. British Army soldier Stephen Stokes, born 1802, made this tapestry while he was stationed in Ireland. More than 30 panels tell the story of his career, first in the cavalry (the Royal Dragoons) and then in the Dublin Metropolitan Police. He spent more than 15 years working on the tapestry, using the sewing skills that many soldiers possessed. Key to the tapestry 1. 'The Irish Constabulary and the Boys of Ballingarry' represents the 1848 rising of the 'Young Irelanders' in Co. Tipperary 2. 'Prosperity to Ireland' the figure of Hibernia with cornucopia symbolising plenty 3. 'Erin-Go-Bragh' this Irish motto means 'Ireland Forever' 4. 'Capture of the Standard by the Royal Dragoons' shows a famous event at the Battle of Waterloo 5. Jenny Lind the 'Swedish Nightingale', a famous opera singer of the time 6. 'Rollo' a legendary Viking figure, subject of a popular Elizabethan play 7. Royal Family at Review the figures of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are in the centre of the panel 8. 'Pizarro' Spanish conquistador, subject of a popular Victorian play 9. 'Foreign Officer' 10. 'Police Office' 11. '12th Lancer' 12. 'Gamblers' 13. 'British Grenadier and Drummer' standard images of British soldiers 14. 'The Royal Arms' surrounded by flowers and leaves representing England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales 15. 'General Officer' 16. 'Greenwich Pensioners' retired British sailors housed at Greenwich, east of London 17. 'At Drill' 18. 'Enlisting For a Soldier' 19. Chelsea Pensioner' an old soldier in the distinctive uniform of the British equivalent of Kilmainham Hospital 20. 'British Sailor' 21. 'Prince of Wales Plume' symbol of the heir to the British throne with the motto in German: 'I serve' 22. a soldier training a cavalry horse on a long line 23. 'St. George and the Dragon' familiar figure of England's dragon-slaying patron saint 24. 'A Dragoon's Funeral' procession of soldiers with reversed weapons escorting the coffin to the church 25. 'Scene in a Canteen' soldiers enjoying themselves off duty 26. 'Jim Crow' racist stereotype of a black man from the nineteenth century stage 27. 'Driving Tandem' a light-weight, speedy horse-drawn vehicle of the time 28. 'Dublin Provost' a blue-uniformed military policeman supervises the punishment of soldiers 29. 'Tam O'Shanter' scene from a story of ghosts and witches by writer Sir Walter Scott 30. 'Donnybrook Fair' a variety of scenes that you might see at this famous event 31. 'In Action' British cavalry fighting French soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars ;