This beadwork sampler refers to ‘His Master’s Voice’- the now-iconic image of a dog and gramophone popularised in the early part of the 20th century. The sampler could have been used either for practice, or as one of the copy patterns, circulated amongst friends and relatives. The outlines of designs were first marked out and the area within was then filled in. Designs from European cross-stitch instructional books became popular with Nonyas from the 1930s, particularly those in Penang. These allude to the increasingly cosmopolitan social context in which their makers lived.
