A delightful and unusual collection of three genuine Victorian embroidered bookmarks, worked in coloured threads on finely perforated card and subsequently mounted together in a glazed frame.

Dating to approximately 1880–1900, these charming little pieces are wonderful examples of the sentimental needlework popular during the later Victorian period, when handmade bookmarks were frequently produced as keepsakes and small tokens of affection.

Each carries a different motto:

“Home Sweet Home” – worked above a charming little cottage.

“A Contented Mind” – beautifully presented within an exceptionally decorative pierced and scalloped perforated-card border, with its original rich red silk ribbon running behind.

“The Gift is Small but Love is All” – worked in blue and cream with a central little gift box or casket and strong geometric corner decoration. A surviving textile ribbon or tape can be seen extending from the perforated card.

The detailed photographs show the construction particularly well: the regular punched ground of the card, individual hand-worked stitches and the remarkably intricate pierced decoration of the central bookmark.

Originally practical objects intended to sit between the pages of a book, Victorian bookmarks of this type were often given between friends and family. Their affectionate mottoes make them particularly evocative pieces of domestic social history.

The three have been sensitively mounted together at a later date against pale blue and deep-red textiles, creating a wonderfully decorative piece of Victorian folk and textile art.

There is expected age-related fading, toning and wear to these delicate 19th-century materials, but they have survived remarkably well. Please examine the photographs carefully as these form part of the description.

Date: c.1880–1900

Period: Victorian

Material: Embroidered thread on perforated card, with textile ribbons

Type: Three antique bookmarks

Presentation: Later mounted and glazed together

A particularly appealing collection — not simply Victorian motto needlework, but three small handmade gifts that were originally intended to be used and treasured.