Molly Booker
(1906-1963)

Angels, 1993

mixed media needlework with gold leaf, beads, mirror, silk flowers and sequins
titled lower left ‘Angels.’ in embriodery, signed and dated lower right ‘A.M. Booker. 1933’
with original exhibition label verso ‘Needlework Development; Article Ecclesiastical Panel; Origin Britain; Size 17 1/2 x 18 3/4; Date 1934, No 822x’ and with original Chelsea Art Stores picture frame makers stamp

47 x 39 cm.
(framed 62 x 54 cm.)
in a period frame

Exhibited
London, Lefevre gallery 1934.

Provenance

from the estate of Lady Mary Milne (d. 2025), former head of Fashion & Theatre Costume at Edinborough Collage of Art

Molly Booker was a British textile artist. She combined bright colour, dense stitching and painterly compositions, drawing on influences from painting, tapestry and contemporary fashion while insisting on embroidery as an art form in its own right.

Booker had her own solo exhibition, Sewed Pictures, at London’s Lefevre Gallery in 1934, and published How To Do It: Embroidery Design the following year. Despite this early recognition, her career has remained relatively obscure. Her work, including South of France (1930) in the Victoria and Albert Museum, represents a distinctive and under-recognised contribution to British modern textile art.