In 18th and 19th centuries, young girls received extensive instruction in  basic needlework.  As she grew older, a girl would be introduced to fancier  techniques, ultimately enabling her to produce a staggering number of necessary and luxury linens for the proper household.  Although most instruction was done at home, passed on from mother to daughter, some families sent their daughters to boarding schools to learn the finer points of sewing, embroidery, crepe work, crewel work, spinning, weaving, and some academic subjects.  One such school was the Moravian School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, established in the 1740s.  Here, girls Moravian School, 1836. Courtesy Susan Burrows Swan, "Plain and Fancy: American Women and their Needlework, 1650-1850"between the ages of 5-16 produced everything from pillows, to samplers, to pin cushions.  Indeed, the pin cushion shown above is very similar to one of those that were created at the Moravian School (see Susan Burrows Swan, "Plain and Fancy:  American Women and their Needlework, 1650-1850", pg. 70).  Moravian School graduates embodied feminine charm according to that age's standards--these young women possessed gentleness, compassion, sobriety, docility, and obedience.   Of course, it was a combination of these characteristics that made for the most eligible bachelorettes in civilized circles.  These were the women who married "well" and made their husbands proud.