Reimagining Old Photographs with Embroidery

Nowadays almost everyone always has a camera with them to capture every moment of their lives, albeit most often housed within their mobile phone! It is so easy to snap a shot, but very few of us actually print out our photos anymore.

This is so different from the past when a physical photograph was precious; a memory or keepsake was so often held dear to people’s hearts.

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But as time has passed, the significance of individual pictures has been lost and many end up in junk shops, antique shops and flea markets. Which is where textile artist Han Cao finds them and reimagines them with needle and thread, giving them new life.

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With so few printed photographs nowadays, an embroiderer in 100 years’ time is just not going to have the wealth of material Han Cao currently has.

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Hopefully someone will still find a way, like she has, of giving these pieces of history meaning again.