WNC kneelers

John James Audubon

Among the many exquisite and intriguing works housed in Washington's National Cathedral are various textile decorations embroidered by volunteer docents. Among my favorite examples are the kneelers in St. John's Chapel commemorating notable persons from American history however attempts to find good pictorial documentation of them have eluded me. WNC's gift store offers books about the cathedral's architecture and landscape but nothing of all the decorative and ornamental works populating all its ells, rooms, halls, stairwells, nooks and niches. In lieu of that I'm presenting here a selection of kneelers.

Interior shots of the cathedral abound on Flickr but tend to be focused on stained glass and alters and not so much on the ornamental details crying for their own comprehensive catalog. 

The designs sampled in this post are among over 100 such embroidered textiles each approximately 14" x 10" and upholstering the cushion surmounting a short stool provided to kneel upon in the chapel. Each kneeler is tethered to a straight backed wood chair, not to pews.

Emily Dickinson

Herman Melville

  

Edgar Allan Poe

Francis Parkman

George Rogers Clark

James Fenimore Cooper

                                              

 

Texas

Willa Cather

Winslow Homer