Embroidery in colonial Vietnam<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe historical region of Tonkin, surrounding the Red River Delta in northern Vietnam, was home to numerous embroidery villages, including H\u00e0 \u0110\u00f4ng, B\u1eafc Ninh and Nam \u0110\u1ecbnh. During the French colonial period, embroidery workshops increasingly produced textiles for international markets, responding to the tastes of European and American customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vam.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/1-164-610x450.jpg\")
Silk embroiderers, Ha Dong, photograph by the Indochina Photographic and Cinematographic Service, about 1930. Source: Biblioth\u00e8que nationale de France<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThis commercial activity brought together local craftsmanship and imported materials. According to Les Arts D\u00e9coratifs au Tonkin<\/em> (1922), around 1896, Vietnamese embroiderers began producing their work on Lyon satin, using decorative motifs inspired by Chinese, Japanese and French designs. They also expanded the range of colours used in their embroidery silks, giving their new products a distinctly Western orientation. These embroidered textiles were exhibited at the Exposition Universelle<\/em> in Paris in 1900, where they attracted attention and received awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe changing designs reflected the adaptability of Vietnamese embroiderers and their response to new markets and customer preferences. Floral compositions, birds, animals and mythical creatures continued to feature prominently, alongside designs that appealed to international customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One notable example was Nam-Quat, an established embroidery firm in B\u1eafc Ninh. Its embroidery design and fabric sample book, produced around 1916 \u2013 20 and now in the V&A collection, offers a fascinating insight into this commercial enterprise. Rather than serving as a working pattern book for embroiderers, it was probably intended for customers to select designs and fabrics when ordering finished products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vam.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2-132-610x422.jpg\")
Embroidery design and fabric sample book,<\/em> containing printed designs in black ink on paper and samples of silk satin from Lyon, France. Produced by Nam-Quat in B\u1eafc Ninh Province, Vietnam, 1916\u20131920. Given by John Lust. Museum no. FE.104-1997. \u00a9 Victoria and Albert Museum, London<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe sample book illustrates an extensive range of embroidered furnishings, including bedspreads, bolster covers, table and piano covers, curtains and screens. Its designs feature flowers such as chrysanthemums, lotus, roses and wisteria, alongside birds, animals and mythical creatures including dragons and phoenixes. The final pages include twelve colour samples of Lyon silk satin available to customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seeking to expand its international market, Nam-Quat promoted its work through national and international exhibitions, where it received several awards. These included a silver medal at the Hanoi Exhibition in 1902 \u2013 03, a gold medal at the Marseille Colonial Exhibition in 1906 and a silver medal at the Shanghai Exhibition in 1912. The studio also participated in the Universal Exposition in St Louis, USA, in 1904.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vam.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/3-112-610x824.jpg\")
Hanoi Exhibition: Ministry of the Colonies. General Government of French Indochina. November 3, 1902 \u2013 January 31, 1903, illustrated by Tournon, Raymond (1870 \u2013 1919), 1902. Source: Biblioth\u00e8que nationale de France<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFour embroidered textiles and their stories<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe three embroidered textiles in the display were collected by Edith Florence Harrop (1890 \u2013 1980), who travelled widely in Asia with her husband, Frederick S. Harrop, a graduate of the Royal College of Art and Headmaster of the School of Arts and Crafts in Bangkok. The couple lived in Bangkok from 1917 to 1930, and the textiles were brought back to Britain in 1930. They remained in the family until their acquisition by the V&A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among them is a hanging embroidered with a rooster and hen beside bamboo. Its design closely resembles motifs found in the Nam-Quat sample book, offering a connection between a surviving commercial design archive and finished embroidered objects. The silk satin was probably manufactured in Lyon, reflecting the links between French textile production and Vietnamese embroidery workshops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vam.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/4-96-610x862.jpg\")
Hanging, embroidered satin, Vietnam, 1900 \u2013 20. Given by Mr William Harrop. Museum no. IS.24-2026. \u00a9 Victoria and Albert Museum, London<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nTwo unmade cushion covers demonstrate the variety and technical skill of this commercial embroidery. The green satin features a curling dragon among clouds and flames, accompanied by the Chinese character shou<\/em>, meaning \u2018longevity\u2019. The dragon’s head and body are worked in raised embroidery, creating a striking three-dimensional effect. The cream satin features two dragons facing a stylised shou<\/em> character, with inscriptions that appear to indicate a production centre in Hanoi. Similar designs can also be found in the Nam-Quat sample book. Although both cushion covers are discussed here, only the dragon cushion cover (Museum no. IS.25-2026) is included in the display; the cream satin cushion cover (Museum no. IS.26-2026) can be requested for viewing at V&A East Storehouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vam.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/b-13-610x335.jpg\")
Cushion cover, embroidered satin, Vietnam, 1900-20. Given by Mr William Harrop. Museum no. IS.25-2026. \u00a9 Victoria and Albert Museum, London<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vam.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/a-14-610x332.jpg\")
Cushion cover, embroidered satin, Vietnam, 1900-20. Given by Mr William Harrop. Museum no. IS.26-2026. \u00a9 Victoria and Albert Museum, London<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nA fourth object, described by Edith Harrop as a ‘mosquito bag’, is particularly intriguing. The small, embroidered purse has drawstrings and may have been used to hold herbs or other fragrant materials intended to repel mosquitoes. Interestingly, similar designs are identified as purses in the Nam-Quat sample book. The different descriptions offer a glimpse into how these objects could be understood and used in different contexts: as commercial products for customers and as practical personal accessories for their owners. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harrop recorded that ‘most of these cloths are second-hand and have been bought in pawn shops\u2026 genuinely “of the country”‘. Her observations offer a rare personal perspective on the textiles and the circumstances in which she collected them<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vam.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/6-62-610x748.jpg\")
Mosquito bag, embroidered satin, Vietnam, 1900 \u2013 20. Given by Mr William Harrop. Museum no. IS.27-2026. \u00a9 Victoria and Albert Museum, London<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nEmbroidered stories: a ceremonial procession<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
This commercial activity brought together local craftsmanship and imported materials. According to Les Arts D\u00e9coratifs au Tonkin<\/em> (1922), around 1896, Vietnamese embroiderers began producing their work on Lyon satin, using decorative motifs inspired by Chinese, Japanese and French designs. They also expanded the range of colours used in their embroidery silks, giving their new products a distinctly Western orientation. These embroidered textiles were exhibited at the Exposition Universelle<\/em> in Paris in 1900, where they attracted attention and received awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The changing designs reflected the adaptability of Vietnamese embroiderers and their response to new markets and customer preferences. Floral compositions, birds, animals and mythical creatures continued to feature prominently, alongside designs that appealed to international customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One notable example was Nam-Quat, an established embroidery firm in B\u1eafc Ninh. Its embroidery design and fabric sample book, produced around 1916 \u2013 20 and now in the V&A collection, offers a fascinating insight into this commercial enterprise. Rather than serving as a working pattern book for embroiderers, it was probably intended for customers to select designs and fabrics when ordering finished products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sample book illustrates an extensive range of embroidered furnishings, including bedspreads, bolster covers, table and piano covers, curtains and screens. Its designs feature flowers such as chrysanthemums, lotus, roses and wisteria, alongside birds, animals and mythical creatures including dragons and phoenixes. The final pages include twelve colour samples of Lyon silk satin available to customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seeking to expand its international market, Nam-Quat promoted its work through national and international exhibitions, where it received several awards. These included a silver medal at the Hanoi Exhibition in 1902 \u2013 03, a gold medal at the Marseille Colonial Exhibition in 1906 and a silver medal at the Shanghai Exhibition in 1912. The studio also participated in the Universal Exposition in St Louis, USA, in 1904.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The three embroidered textiles in the display were collected by Edith Florence Harrop (1890 \u2013 1980), who travelled widely in Asia with her husband, Frederick S. Harrop, a graduate of the Royal College of Art and Headmaster of the School of Arts and Crafts in Bangkok. The couple lived in Bangkok from 1917 to 1930, and the textiles were brought back to Britain in 1930. They remained in the family until their acquisition by the V&A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Among them is a hanging embroidered with a rooster and hen beside bamboo. Its design closely resembles motifs found in the Nam-Quat sample book, offering a connection between a surviving commercial design archive and finished embroidered objects. The silk satin was probably manufactured in Lyon, reflecting the links between French textile production and Vietnamese embroidery workshops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two unmade cushion covers demonstrate the variety and technical skill of this commercial embroidery. The green satin features a curling dragon among clouds and flames, accompanied by the Chinese character shou<\/em>, meaning \u2018longevity\u2019. The dragon’s head and body are worked in raised embroidery, creating a striking three-dimensional effect. The cream satin features two dragons facing a stylised shou<\/em> character, with inscriptions that appear to indicate a production centre in Hanoi. Similar designs can also be found in the Nam-Quat sample book. Although both cushion covers are discussed here, only the dragon cushion cover (Museum no. IS.25-2026) is included in the display; the cream satin cushion cover (Museum no. IS.26-2026) can be requested for viewing at V&A East Storehouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A fourth object, described by Edith Harrop as a ‘mosquito bag’, is particularly intriguing. The small, embroidered purse has drawstrings and may have been used to hold herbs or other fragrant materials intended to repel mosquitoes. Interestingly, similar designs are identified as purses in the Nam-Quat sample book. The different descriptions offer a glimpse into how these objects could be understood and used in different contexts: as commercial products for customers and as practical personal accessories for their owners. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Harrop recorded that ‘most of these cloths are second-hand and have been bought in pawn shops\u2026 genuinely “of the country”‘. Her observations offer a rare personal perspective on the textiles and the circumstances in which she collected them<\/p>\n\n\n\nFour embroidered textiles and their stories<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Embroidered stories: a ceremonial procession<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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