Samplings: XLIX

VOLUME XLIX

ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF CONTENTS Louisa Ann Arnold, Pine Plains, Dutchess County, New York, 1831 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Almira Bachelder, Canterbury, New Hampshire, 1818 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Charlotte Beck, Pine Grove School, Burlington County, New Jersey, 1811 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Eliza H. Booth, Battle Creek, Calhoun County, Michigan, 1850 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Melissa Cochran, probably Western Pennsylvania, 1837 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Elizabeth Coles, Ellis Burg School, Camden County, New Jersey, 1818 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Abigail Crosby, Billerica, Massachusetts, 1812 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Jane Langdon Culver, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1819 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Hannah Eaby, Leacock Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1827 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Abigail Elliot, Beverly, Massachusetts, circa 1832 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Sarah Evans, Pennsylvania or Delaware, 1806 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Treissa Faiers, probably Suffolk, England, 1815 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Mary Fisher, Dedham, Massachusetts, 1787 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Janet Gentle, Scotland, 1811 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Barbara Gerz, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1810 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Olivia Ann Hewes, Newton, Massachusetts, 1829 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Maria Hopwood, J. Spurr’s Academy, Dronfield, Derbyshire, England, 1798 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Beadwork Hussif, The Royal Regiment, India, 1857 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Abigail Ingalls, Methuen, Massachusetts, 1811 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Hannah Leggett, Christmas / Easter Sampler, England, 1813 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Catherine Miller, England, 1791 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Frances Moor, England, circa 1820 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Hepsy Neal, Stratham, New Hampshire, circa 1790 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Elizabeth Nield, Multiplication Table, England, 1816 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Eliza Hodges Oliver, Suffolk, Virginia, 1829 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 S. Parker, Norfolk, England, 1817 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Mary Paul, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1821 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Hannah Perce, Gloucester County, New Jersey, 1809 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Embroidered Ladies’ Pocket, England, early 18th century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Miranda Raymond, Littleton, Massachusetts, 1821 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 S. A. Riddoch, England, 1862 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Susanna Rising, Saxlingham-Nethergate, Norfolk, England, 1746 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Nancy Reeves Sheppard, Cumberland County, New Jersey, 1818 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Almira Spencer, East Greenwich, Rhode Island, 1833 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Margret Eliza Sturrup, probably New Jersey, 1811 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Silk Embroidered Memorial to George Torrey, Scituate, Massachusetts, circa 1815 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Abigail H. Vinal, Scituate, Massachusetts, 1828 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Sarah B. Wright, New Egypt, Monmouth County, New Jersey, 1827 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Copyright © 2016 by M. Finkel & Daughter, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without the permission in writing from M. Finkel & Daughter, Inc. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Welcome ...

We are delighted to present our first digital issue of Samplings, which is also the 49th edition of our catalogue of schoolgirl samplers and needlework, produced semiannually since 1992. It is our hope that you enjoy reading through this catalogue which presents fine antique samplers and schoolgirl needleworks.

We thank you all for your continued and growing interest in this field.

Schoolgirl samplers and needlework provide fascinating opportunities to collectors. A sampler acts as a window into the specific history of a young girl, her family, a teacher, a town, a region, and a tradition, and as such provides us with unusual insight. It goes without saying that samplers, from a simple marking piece to an elaborate scene, are also extremely visually appealing.

Each of our samplers has been fully researched and documented; it is well known that we conduct ourselves and have others engage in intensive genealogical research and often achieve important results. When we describe a sampler or silk embroidery, we frequently refer to a number of fine books that have been written in this field. A selected bibliography is included at the end of the catalogue and is updated regularly. We also include a description page about our conservation methods and encourage you to call us with any questions in this area.

This year marks the 69th anniversary of the founding of our firm. We continue to value our positive relationships with clients and strive to maintain our commitment to customer service. Buying antiques should be based in large measure on trust and confidence, and we try to treat each customer as we ourselves like to be treated. We operate by appointment and are at the shop Monday through Friday, but may be available on weekends, except when we are exhibiting at antiques shows. Please let us know of your plans to visit us.

We suggest that you contact us in a timely fashion if one or more of our samplers is of interest to you. Please note that the images may vary slightly depending on your screen. All images are of the best quality, professionally shot and of the highest digital resolution. We would be happy to discuss your collecting objectives with you. Our inventory is extensive, and we have many other samplers that are not included in our catalogue, some of which are on our website. Moreover, through our sources, we may be able to locate what you are looking for; you will find us knowledgeable and helpful.

Payment may be made by check or credit card. Pennsylvania residents should add 6% sales tax. All items are sold with a five day return privilege. We prefer to ship via UPS ground or FedEx air, insured.

We look forward to your phone calls and your interest.

www.samplings.com Please check our website for frequent updates and additions to our inventory

Amy Finkel Jamie Banks mailbox@samplings.com 800-598-7432 215-627-7797

Are you interested in selling? We are constantly purchasing antique samplers and needlework and would like to know what you have for sale. We can purchase outright or act as your agent. Photographs emailed or sent to us will receive our prompt attention. Please call us for more information.

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Hepsy Neal, Stratham, New Hampshire, circa 1790 Fully worked samplers offer a particular visual treat and hold a special place of esteem in the world of needlework. We were pleased to have acquired this outstanding example, which clearly indicates superior skill in its composition and execution. It is closely related to one of our favorite samplers, that worked by Mary Wiggin of Stratham, New Hampshire in 1797, in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Much research has led to the conclusion that the maker of our sampler, Hepsy Neal, was the instructress of Mary Wiggin.

Hepsy, short for Hepzibah and its variant spellings, was born in Stratham, a prosperous, small town just southwest of Portsmouth, in 1754. In 1793 it was noted that the town had two schoolhouses and it’s certainly possible that Miss Neal taught in one of them. Her sampler, most likely an inspirational example for her students, was probably made some years prior to the one by Mary Wiggin as it retains the vertical format of eighteenth century samplers. As Betty Ring noted when she published the Wiggin sampler (Girlhood Embroidery, vol I, figure 132), the fruit trees and stylized central basket of flowers resemble characteristics from Newbury / Newburyport, Massachusetts samplers. It’s possible that the Hepsy Neal was educated there and incorporated these motifs into her teaching.

When Hepsy married at age 45 in 1799, it was to a widower and a highly educated gentleman, the Rev. Timothy Upham (1748-1811), a fitting husband for a respected instructress. He had graduated from Harvard in 1768 where he studied for the ministry and, in 1772, he was ordained pastor of the Congregational Church at Deerfield, New Hampshire. He was the first minister of the church and remained there until his death in 1811. Hepzibah Neal Upham died on May 11, 1811, a few months after the death of her husband and is buried next to him at the Old Centre Cemetery in Deerfield.

The sampler is divided into five horizontal registers with the top four worked against varying shades of deep brown and presenting alphabets (note that none include the letter “J” in keeping with the early influence) and an excellent band of free-form flowers and strawberries. On the lowermost register, with varying pale blues as its background tone, Hepsy stitched the aphorism, “Goodness and Mercy ever follow those / Who shape their Conduct by GOD’s holy Laws,” above her pictorial scene and embedded her name into the two hillocks that form the lawn. A three-sided border of a checkerboard sawtooth design, again solidly stitched, frames the sampler beautifully.

Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition and it has been conservation mounted into a fine mahogany and figured maple frame. We have a photo taken of the reverse prior to mounting which is an interesting study in technique, and as well as indication that the sampler retains its original color.

Sampler size: 19½” x 16”

Framed size: 24” x 20½”

Price: $28,000.

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Mary Fisher, Dedham, Massachusetts, 1787 A faultlessly rendered sampler with a wonderful composition, this includes many beautifully stitched animals, birds, flowering plants and baskets; additionally, excellent bands and borders provide a handsome visual strength. It is signed, "Mary Fisher Her Sampler 1787" and several rows further down is the following, neatly ordered inscription, "Mary Fisher Born October th 19 1772 Nw Braintree." Indeed Mary was born in New Braintree, Massachusetts, which is west of Worcester; however, she was living in Dedham, south and east of Boston in 1787 when she worked this sampler. The quality of Mary’s work is consistent with the many outstanding samplers made in the last quarter of the 18th century in Boston and its nearby environs.

The Fisher Genealogy Record of the Descendants of Joshua, Anthony and Cornelius Fisher of Dedham, Mass., 1636-1640 (Massachusetts Publishing Company, 1898) provides much information about the family. Mary descended from the line of Anthony Fisher who arrived in America in 1637, and became one of the earliest settlers of Dedham, south and east of Boston. The family remained there as prominent citizens and patriots for generations. Mary’s father, Jonathan Fisher (1743-1777) removed about 50 miles west to New Braintree to marry Catherine Avery (b. 1746) in 1766 and they remained in central Massachusetts, becoming the parents of seven children. In 1775, Jonathan resigned his commission in the King’s army and by March of 1776 he was a lieutenant in the Massachusetts Militia. Sadly, he died of camp fever at Morristown, New Jersey on March 10, 1777, and the letter written by his companions in Washington’s army to inform his widow was cherished by the family for generations. After his death, Catherine Fisher moved back to Dedham with seven children under the age of nine, to live with her father.

On November 29, 1792, Mary married Job Howland (1764-1847). They removed to Conway, Massachusetts and their ten children were born between 1794 and 1817.

Mary died in 1849 and her sampler remained in the family for at least three generations, as indicated by a family note that accompanied the sampler.

Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a maple and cherry frame.

Sampler size: 17" x 10¼”

Framed size: 20¾” x 14"

Price: $12,500.

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Elizabeth Coles, Ellis Burg School, Camden County, New Jersey, 1818 There are two large and excellent samplers, and only two, known to have been made at the Ellis Burg School, a Quaker school in Camden County, New Jersey, very nearby Philadelphia. One was made by Mary Coles in 1818 and it has been in the collection of Smithsonian Design Museum, Cooper Hewitt, since 1974. The second, a virtually identical sampler, made by Elizabeth Coles, likely Mary’s first cousin, also in 1818, has recently surfaced and we are pleased to offer it now. Resembling some of the finest of the Quaker samplers of southern New Jersey, these works from Ellis Burg School include a pictorial scene of a house and four birds under a crescent sky, set on a lawn with a spotted dog and a water pump. Many trees, little birds and a large white swan further embellish the scene. The samplers present many classic Quaker motifs and the same four line poem under a pair of blue birds. A welldeveloped border, with its origins in Burlington County sampler design, frames each sampler nicely and an interesting cartouche containing the inscription is integrated into the center of the top border.

The Coles family lived in Ellisburg (the town later used this one word name) from the early 18th century on and began with Kendal and Elizabeth Ann (Budd) Coles.

While the samplermakers didn’t provide specifics, such as their age or parents’ names, thorough research of the Coles family genealogy has allowed us to identify the two young ladies as cousins, and granddaughters of the early couple.

Elizabeth Coles was born in 1800, the daughter of Kendall Coles (1775-1816) and Sarah (Engle) Coles. She would have been about 18 years old when she worked her sampler at the Ellis Burg School. Mary Coles, her first cousin, was born in 1804, the daughter of John and Rachel (Wills) Coles. John and Kendall were brothers and the families were neighbors. Elizabeth married Ogden Cuthbert in 1823 and they lived in Haddonfield. She died in 1873 and is buried, along with many family members, in the Historic Colestown Cemetery which is located two miles from Ellisburg.

Of note is the fact that Mary Coles’ sampler was in the important, early collection of Mrs. Eva Johnston Coe, who co-authored American Samplers, the seminal 1921 book. Her collection was a bequest to the Cooper Hewitt upon her death in 1941.

Elizabeth’s sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a cherry beveled frame with a maple bead.

Sampler size: 21” x 21½”

Framed size: 25½” x 26”

Price: $6200.

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Almira Bachelder, Canterbury, New Hampshire, 1818 We are pleased to be able to offer Almira Bachelder’s praiseworthy sampler, which belongs to the Bird and Basket Samplers of Canterbury, New Hampshire, a group that has been researched and appreciated for many years. An exhibition entitled, Lessons Stitched in Silk: Samplers from the Canterbury Region of New Hampshire, at Dartmouth College’s Hood Museum of Art in 1990, included 33 samplers, from relatively simple examples to outstanding, fully developed ones, with the characteristic hillocks, flowers, trees, birds and baskets, frequently worked with black outlines. The borders of these samplers are strongly pictorial and frequently the samplers include only alphabets and inscriptions within the interior register, itself often framed by a light and dark zigzag border worked in the eyelet stitch. The samplermakers lived in the Merrimack Valley, in towns such as Canterbury, Loudon, Sanbornton and Gilmanton, located along the Merrimack River. While they likely attended a few different schools, the shared composition and technique produced an aesthetic that endured for over 40 years. The schoolteacher who was likely responsible for much of the excellent work from this area was Ruthy Foster (1779-1858).

This sampler is signed, “Almira Bachelder aged 13 AE,” along the bottom line of the large contained center section. She was the daughter of a farmer, Ebenezer and Hannah (Heath) Bachelder, born on June 7, 1805. History of the Town of Canterbury, New Hampshire, 1727-1912, by James Otis Lyford (Canterbury Historical Society, 1973) includes information about the Batchelder / Bachelder family, indicating that Almira’s parents were married in 1795 and they had four children, with our samplermaker being the youngest. In 1828, she married Colonel David Morrill Clough (1805-1885) and Genealogical and Family History of the State of New Hampshire, by Ezra S. Stearns (Lewis Publishing Co., 1903), publishes much information about Colonel Clough. He was a highly educated young man, commissioned in the state militia in which he rose quickly to rank of colonel. Almira and David had five children who were born between 1830 and 1850. In 1848, after a several month tour of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa, towards the prospect of settling in the West, he returned to New Hampshire which he determined was attractive as any state to a farmer. The family then bought a farm near Canterbury that became very successful over the years. Almira died on November 5, 1851. Colonel Clough also served in public offices and as a member of the Governor’s Council. He was an active advocate for the rights of farmers for many decades. After he died in 1885, it was written that he was possessed of the great elements of success in life: opportunity, ability, critical judgement, habits of industry and energy.

Almira’s sampler was worked in silk on linen and remains in excellent condition, with some very minor wear to some stiches. A photo taken of the reverse indicates that the colors are very close to their original state. While the hillocks and flowers on vine within the hillocks are fully outlined and this composition is complete, the stitches that fill in the lawn are partially unfinished. It has been conservation mounted and is in a mahogany frame with a maple outer bead.

Sampler size: 17¼” x 16¼”

Framed size: 22” x 21”

Price: $11,000.

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Barbara Gerz, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1810 In Girlhood Embroidery, vol. II, Betty Ring discusses a group of samplers that we find particularly appealing. In the section entitled, “Philadelphia in the Federal Period,” Mrs. Ring presents these samplers, which were made in the last years of the 18th century and very beginning of the 19th century. They feature large, sweeping lawns with sheep, a detailed house, fences and gates, large willow trees and figures in plumed hats.

Barbara Gerz’s 1810 sampler, a large and stunning pictorial composition, is a newly discovered addition to this group. Specific imagery that Barbara stitched, such as the very fat sheep, the lady at the well and another watering a large flowering bush and the large arbor nearby the house contribute wonderfully to this sampler. Much of the needlework was produced in unusually minute detail, creating textures that add to the aesthetic appeal of the piece. A sampler made by Jane Langdon Culver in 1819 relates to this Gerz example and is also included in this catalogue.

Specific identification of Barbara Gerz is unlikely but we can be certain that the Gerz family belonged to the large Pennsylvania German community living in and around Philadelphia.

Worked in silk on fine linen gauze, the sampler is in very good condition with several areas of loss or weakness to the linen; the needlework itself is in excellent condition. The sampler has been conservation mounted and is in a mahogany and figured maple frame.

Sampler size: 19¼” x 25”

Framed size: 23¾” x 29½”

Price: $18,500.

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Embroidered Lady's Pocket, England, early 18th century A wonderfully informative article, entitled “Ladies’ Pockets” and written by Yolanda Van de Krol was published in The Magazine Antiques, March 1996 and includes the following quotation: “Beginning in the mid-to-late seventeenth century, women wore detachable, bell-shaped bags tied around their waists as pockets. Women carried a wide range of objects in their pockets, from sewing implements to drinking cups. Since it is quite common for pockets to be fifteen inches or more deep, women could carry many objects at a time … [they survive] as intriguing manifestations of female ingenuity, thriftiness and needlework skills.”

This beautifully embroidered pocket would have been functional as well as decorative, and was likely worked by its owner. The polychrome needlework features a striped, two-handled basket filled with large blossom flowers on delicate, leafy stems. A pair of smaller flower baskets and four endearing sprigs of three-petal flowers provide further embellishment and the pocket opening is edged with rich embroidery. The ground is fairly covered with a wonderful period device, faux-quilted vermicelli patterned silk stiches, which create a highly appealing texture.

Worked in silk on linen, this needlework is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a new gold leaf frame.

Size of the pocket: 16” x 10” Price: $4200.

Framed size: 20½” x 14¼”

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Almira Spencer, East Greenwich, Rhode Island, 1833 A handsome sampler that exhibits extraordinary technical skill, this was worked by Almira Spencer of East Greenwich, Rhode Island in 1833 when she was fourteen years old. The quality of the work is decidedly unusual, allowing us to speculate that Almira’s instructress was highly skilled as both a needleworker and a teacher. Many areas - the green hills, the geometric baskets, the strawberries and the wide horizontal band - are fully worked in the queen’s-stitch, which is quite an achievement. The religious verse and her inscription exhibit particularly small and tightly worked lettering and the overall composition of the sampler is very good.

The Spencer family in America began with Michael Spencer who was baptized in England in 1611 and was living in Cambridge, Massachusetts by 1634. He died in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1653 and his son, John Spencer (c. 1638-1684) was one of a group of men to receive a land grant from the General Assembly of Rhode Island on October 31, 1677. These 5000 acres became the town of East Greenwich, situated north of Newport. John Spencer was elected the first Town Clerk and continued in that position until 1684, additionally he was appointed Conservator of the Peace in 1678.

Seven generations later, this branch of the family was still living in East Greenwich and our samplermaker, Almira Spencer was born on May 18, 1819 to Ezra and Susan Spencer. Ezra Spencer (1789-1871) was a mason, and the Spencers married there in 1814. They became the parents of four children; Almira was their second born and only daughter. Her sampler is inscribed, “Almira Spencer’s Sampler Wrought in Her 15th Year East Greenwich 1833.” She remained single and died on April 2, 1852, buried in Henry Spencer Lot in East Greenwich.

The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a cherry beveled frame with a figured maple bead.

Sampler size: 17” square

Framed size: 21¼” square

Price: $7800.

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Melissa Cochran, probably Western Pennsylvania, 1837 A large red house and fence is set between striped green trees and above an unusual, stylized lawn. A huge blue bird soars above and a pair of butterflies flits nearby. A pair of folky birds on a berry branch and oversized roses in a low basket decorate the area below. One crisply worked alphabet with the year 1837 tucked in at the end is followed by a classic verse, cautioning us about the passage of time. Melissa Cochran’s sampler is highly appealing with both a strong, fresh, folk quality and very good craftsmanship.

The sampler shares salient characteristics with those made in the late 1830s through mid-1850s in Washington County at the school of Mary Tidball - the pair of birds looking left and right, large blossomed flowers and leaves with prominent veins, the tall evergreen tree, butterflies and even the fact of a hummingbird, appearing here in outline. The strong red, green and blue palette of some of the Tidball samplers is also that used by Melissa Cochran.

While it’s difficult to know with absolute certainty, we feel that Melissa Cochran was the daughter of Samuel and Grizzella (Neel) Cochran of Mifflin, Allegheny County, just south of Pittsburgh and the county adjoining with Washington County. She was born in 1820 and grandparents on both sides were prominent citizens in Allegheny County, with information published about them in History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (A. Warner & Co, 1889). On April 8, 1856, Melissa married Charles Bovard and they had one child, a daughter, Mary Zella Bovard. Melissa died in 1895 and is buried in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.

The sampler is worked in silk and wool on linen. It is in excellent condition with a very few stitches missing to one upright of the fence. Conservation mounted, it is now in a fine cherry and maple cornerblock frame.

Sampler size: 20¼” x 17¾”

Framed size: 24½” x 22”

Price: $14,500.

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Catherine Miller, England, 1791 Traditionally, English samplers are much more formal and symmetrical in composition than American samplers. Catherine Miller worked this wonderfully developed Garden of Eden scene in England, which is indeed formally composed and symmetrical, but with a warm, folky, organic quality as well, making it universally appealing.

Adam and Eve stand under the serpent-wrapped tree with leafy fronds in hand. A patchwork green lawn spreads out before them displaying an outstanding assortment of animals. The large, winged angel next to Adam was sent to expel them from that paradise, according to both the Bible and the Torah. A large pair of fruit trees, with many birds flying nearby, is topped by an excellent, fully worked sky displaying the sun and white clouds on a light blue background, and the full moon and stars on a darker teal night sky. Catherine embellished both the sun and the moon with wise faces and while this type of visage on suns and moons does appear on other samplers, the treatment is unusual and adds to the appeal of this splendid sampler.

A pair of angels presents the biblical line “be thou faithful unto death and I will give the [sic] a crown of life.” Catherine stitched an additional verse pertaining to Adam & Eve above, and surrounded the entire scene with a beautifully worked, classic 18th century border. The inscription reads, “Catherine Miller work done in the year 1791,” and while stitched in a lighter color, it is legible.

Worked in silk on linen, this sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a maple beveled frame with a gold liner.

Sampler size: 16½” x 20½”

Framed size: 21” x 25”

Price: $8400.

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Louisa Ann Arnold, Pine Plains, Dutchess County, New York, 1831 The Arnold family lived in Clinton, a small town in Dutchess County, New York, north of Poughkeepsie and near the Connecticut border. Welcome Arnold (17831881) was born in Rhode Island, into a Quaker family with deep roots there. In the late 18th century, Welcome’s father, Ahab Arnold (1760-1839), left Rhode Island and settled in Dutchess County. In 1805, Welcome married Mary L. Rowe (1788-1876) and they remained in Clinton where Louisa Ann Arnold was born on May 5, 1822, one of three children. She attended school in the nearby town of Pine Plains when she was nine years old, and stitched this praiseworthy sampler while there. After her careful work on several alphabets, Louisa Ann continued to stitch an interesting verse, one that we have not come across previously on a sampler. These four lines of poetry were published in 1770 as part of “Ode to Cuckoo,” by Michael Bruce (1746-1767), a Scottish poet. Several little birds embellish the sampler, no doubt as a nod to the subject of the verse.

On November 13, 1839, Louisa married Calvin Philo Guernsey (1811-1855), a physician. Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Dutchess and Putnam, New York (J.H. Beers & Co, 1897) indicates that Dr. Guernsey studied medicine in Dutchess County and New York City, later settling in Clinton where he had a successful medical practice for many years. He and Louisa had two children, Welcome and Caroline. Louisa Ann died on December 4, 1853, and her husband died two years later.

The sampler is a fine accomplishment for such a young schoolgirl. A good assortment of motifs and pictorial images fills much of the space, with a particularly tightly worked portion of a band directly below the verse. A four-sided border of strawberries on angled vines marches around the sampler and frames it all nicely.

Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into its original mahogany frame.

Sampler size: 16¼” x 16”

Framed size: 20¾” x 20½”

Price: $3800.

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Three Samplers from the Norfolk Group, England, 1746, 1815 and 1817 Joanne Martin Lukacher, in her book Imitation and Improvement: The Norfolk Sampler Tradition (In the Company of Friends, 2013), provides an in-depth study of the fascinating group of samplers produced by girls from Norfolk, England for one hundred years, from the 1730s to 1830s. Shared styles, composition and motifs are analyzed and interpreted, with additional attention paid to the social histories of the young samplermakers and their families. The result is a comprehensive and outstanding book, which is also a visual treat.

It is our pleasure to be able to offer three excellent Norfolk Group samplers at the same time, a highly unusual circumstance. We turned to Ms. Lukacher, who was generous enough to provide specific information, as well as her thoughts on these samplers; please find her writing on the following pages.

For further information, Ms. Lukacher’s book, Imitation and Improvement: The Norfolk Sampler Tradition can be ordered here (http://www.inthecompanyoffriends. com/Books.htm).

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(Details from the following three Norfolk Group samplers)

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Susanna Rising, Saxlingham-Nethergate, Norfolk, England, 1746 Susanna Rising’s delightful work of 1746 may be the earliest Norfolk sampler to incorporate both the striated Norfolk style pine tree and the confronting deer into the linked octagons that are one of the hallmarks of this distinctive English regional style. The running stitches used to fill the mound supporting the octagon-enframed deer can be compared to stitchwork in the well-known Hannah Tramplett sampler of 1752 suggesting a similar source or teacher. [Lukacher, p. 111] The daughter of Susanna and William Rising, our samplermaker, was christened on 7 November 1735 in Saxlingham-Nethergate, a village about 9 miles southwest of Norwich. The family name is an old one and appears to have originated in Norfolk, where it is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. In Saxlingham-Nethergate Susanna’s family was probably engaged in agriculture. On 10 July 1757, Susanna married 21 year old John Sewell in the nearby village of Ketteringham.

Susanna’s sampler is distinguished by a fresh palette of multiple shades of greens, gold, pink, rust, and blue. Six decorative bands divide the alphabets and numbers.

The relatively small scale is characteristic of early Norfolk samplers, and adds to their charm. The verse is from Isaac Watts Reliquiae Juveniles published in 1734 and is found in a section of the book containing six different verses under the heading “The inscriptions on Several Small French Pictures translated.” Susanna’s verse was chosen from the inscription entitled “Dorinda Sewing” elucidating the practice of industriousness as one of the virtues of needlework in the education of a young Englishwoman of the period.

For further information, Ms. Lukacher’s book, Imitation and Improvement: The Norfolk Sampler Tradition can be ordered here (http://www.inthecompanyoffriends. com/Books.htm).

The sampler is worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a fine 19th century mahogany frame with inlay.

Sampler size: 8½” x 7½”

Framed size: 10¼” x 9¼”

Price: $3700.

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Treissa Faiers, probably Suffolk, England, 1815 Incorporating four alphabets, delicate decorative bands, darning squares, diamonds, heralding angles in the corners and a unique verse into a variation on the regional lozenge frame, the Treissa Faiers sampler is only the second known example of this rare subset of the Norfolk sampler style. The other example is the Elizabeth Warren sampler, worked in the same year and with the same composition and many of the identical motifs, now in the collection of the Cooper-Hewitt, the Smithsonian Design Museum. [Lukacher, p. 193] Like Elizabeth Warren, Treissa Faiers has been difficult to trace definitively.

However, the English town with the highest concentration of the family name Faiers was Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk near the southern border of Norfolk. An ancient market town, Bury St. Edmunds was an important crossroads on the major thoroughfares from Norwich, Kings Lynne, Ipswich and Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

A Teresa Faiers died in Bury St. Edmunds in 1856 and she may well have been the maker of this sampler.

Both the Treissa Faiers sampler and that of Elizabeth Warren display verses from Songs in the Night, the work of the Ipswich poet Susannah Harrison first published in 1780. This discovery of a second sampler to showcase lines from Susannah Harrison’s work may indicate Ipswich as the location of the unknown teacher or school.

For further information, Ms. Lukacher’s book, Imitation and Improvement: The Norfolk Sampler Tradition can be ordered here (http://www.inthecompanyoffriends. com/Books.htm).

Worked in silk on wool, the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a 19th century gold leaf frame.

Sampler size: 14¼” x 12¾”

Framed size: 18½” x 17”

Price: $5800.

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S. Parker, Norfolk, England, 1817 The S. Parker Norfolk sampler of 1817 abounds with a rich assortment of intricate counted stitch floral arrangements that reward both distant and close inspection.

Within the stepped lozenge frame that is a classic characteristic of the Norfolk sampler style are numerous small floral bands and borders, a deftly arranged composition of alphabets and numbers, a four line verse, and an inscription, all surmounted by a double handled basket in the upper register. Below the verse, a pair of small Norfolk-style pines flank the last line of the large alphabet while tiny crossstitch diamond motifs, another Norfolk sampler feature, are symmetrically disposed in the steps of the lozenge. A Greek key border is indicative of the neoclassicism of the period.

The verse is from a poem entitled “The Swallows” published in a collection of poems in 1748 and ascribed to a Mr. Jago. This quatrain was republished innumerable times in books of moral verse and of grammatical instruction well into the 19th century.

Fourteen year old S. Parker has not been identified, but her composition bears comparison with the Norfolk sampler of Ellen Elizabeth Jackson in 1806, the Eliza Blake sampler of 1810 and the Priscilla Crowe and Sarah Ann Gooch samplers of 1815 and 1817 respectively. [Lukacher, pp. 183, 185, 189, 191] For further information, Ms. Lukacher’s book, Imitation and Improvement: The Norfolk Sampler Tradition can be ordered here (http://www.inthecompanyoffriends. com/Books.htm).

S. Parker’s sampler is worked in silk on wool. It is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted and is in a molded and black painted frame.

Sampler size: 15” x 13”

Framed size: 17¼” x 15¼”

Price: $7400.

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Jane Langdon Culver, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1819 We occasionally come across samplers that very clearly belong to certain significant groups but were made as somewhat more simple versions, or perhaps were precursors to the more highly developed pictorial sampler that was to be the next lesson. Jane Langdon Culver worked such a piece, a delightful sampler that features some of the very charming characteristics found within a genre of important Philadelphia samplers.

In this case, it is the scene of this specific fashionably dressed couple, he with his boots, top hat and walking stick and she with a bonnet, sash and slippers, all in blue, that are closely associated with the particular group. Their black dog accompanies them. A large basket with flowers springing from it and a flowering plant provide further embellishment, all on a lawn with flowers embedded in the grass. These recognizable features appear on Philadelphia samplers from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, often, however, with a large manor house set in a balanced composition with pine trees or with fences and willow trees. Jane’s sampler also includes the double vine border with tulips and star-flowers, another design element found on many classic Philadelphia samplers.

Jane was born in 1809, therefore, was about ten years old when she made this sampler. While we don’t know who her parents were at this point, we know that she married John Hause Zebley (1800-1878), also of Philadelphia. He was a merchant and they lived in the 700 block of Spruce Street in the old section of Philadelphia.

She died on October 5, 1864 and is buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia.

The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a mahogany frame with line inlay.

Sampler size: 12¾” x 12½”

Framed size: 15¼” x 15”

Price: $4700.

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Olivia Ann Hewes, Newton, Massachusetts, 1829 This well-documented 1829 sampler offers a fine verse and handsome composition within a graphic border. The maker was Olivia Ann Hewes, age 11, who must have been attending school in Newton, Massachusetts, a town seven miles west of Boston and connected then by nine bridges that crossed the Charles River.

The Hewes family lived in Foxborough, several miles south of Newton. Olivia was born on February 21, 1818 to a carpenter, Rufus Mann Hewes and his wife Densey (Williams) Hewes. Records indicate that her grandfather, John Hewes (1750-1831) was from Newton and that he fought in the Revolutionary War. The Newton connection may explain why Olivia was educated there and she may have lived with relatives at the time.

Olivia stitched a verse that was widely published in the period. She centered it between two striped pots from which strawberry plant grow. Note the use of many hearts, in the four corners and incorporated into the alphabets.

The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a black molded and painted frame.

Sampler size: 12” x 17¼”

Framed size: 14½” x 19¾”

Price: $2800.

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Nancy Reeves Sheppard, Cumberland County, New Jersey, 1818 Eleven-year-old Nancy Reeves Sheppard proved her skills in the needle arts when she worked this engaging sampler in 1818, featuring on it a large and beautifully worked house under handsome, arching flowering vines. The corner elements of this scene and the two baskets are worked in the queen’s-stitch, a technique that requires a great deal of time, as well as silk floss; and it’s a further indication that Nancy was unusually adept.

The Sheppard family in southern New Jersey began with John Sheppard (16551710), Nancy’s great-great-great grandfather, who settled on land in what is now Cumberland County, in 1683. Phineas and Charlotte (Dowdney) Sheppard, Nancy’s parents were married in June of 1806 and Nancy was born a year later, on June 7.

She stitched onto her sampler the initials of all family members born before 1818, including those of a sister Elizabeth Barber Sheppard (1812-1814) whose initials appear in black, signifying that she had died. One can assume Nancy must have felt the loss of her next younger sister deeply.

On March 8, 1832, Nancy married Daniel Hires (1805-1867), a farmer and resident of nearby Elsinborough Township. They had eight children between 1832 and 1847.

Nancy died at age 70 in 1877 and is buried in the Cohansey Baptist Church Cemetery, along with many family members.

New Jersey samplers have the focus of recent in-depth study, and resulted in a wonderfully comprehensive exhibition, “Hail Specimen of Female Art! New Jersey Schoolgirl Needlework, 1726-1860,” at the Morven Museum in Princeton in 2015.

The accompanying publication of the same name is a wonderfully valuable resource and includes many other Cumberland County samplers.

Nancy’s sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition with one minor area of weakness to the linen. It has been conservation mounted and is in a cherry beveled frame with a maple outer bead.

Sampler size: 17” x 12”

Framed size: 20” x 15”

Price: $4400.

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Beadwork Hussif, The Royal Regiment, India, 1857 A highly unusual piece in that all of its work was accomplished in tiny glass beads stitched onto wool, this form is that of a hussif: a long, narrow textile comprised of several pockets that would hang or be folded, often serving as a keepsake itself.

Hussifs were made over many years and their pictorial themes are far more likely to have been within the domain of housewives (from which the name derived) than to present military interests. This may have been made by a wife to commemorate her husband’s military campaign, but it also could have been made by a regimental tailor for a specific client, or perhaps by a soldier himself. It bears a close relationship to the quilts made by these tailors from the same fabric that they used for uniforms; in this case it is the sturdy red, white and black wool of the uniforms of The Royal Regiment.

Also known as The Royal Scots, this is the oldest infantry regiment of the British Army and was established in 1633 under Charles I of Scotland. Their 1st Battalion moved into Ceylon early in 1857, and by August of that year into India. The four vignettes underneath the top wreathed title are all wonderfully evocative of this military campaign: a gentleman with a parasol seated on a decorated elephant flanked by palm trees and sandwiched between “INDIA” and “1857”, Britannia with her lion and shield signifying British Imperial power, the cannon with the flags of France, Turkey, Great Britain and Sardinia and, lastly, the Regimental Cap Badge of The Royal Regiment. While the intent of this piece isn’t naïve, the nature of the beads lends it a wonderful folk art appeal.

The hussif is in excellent condition with some very minor loss to the wool and to the original velvet binding. It has now been conservation mounted into a molded and black painted frame.

Hussif size: 5½” x 37”

Framed size: 10” x 31½”

Price: $4800.

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Abigail Crosby, Billerica, Massachusetts, 1812 A strong still life composition of fruit in a striped basket and flanked by large flowers on leafy stems dominates this handsome sampler from Billerica, Massachusetts, northwest of Boston. Inscribed, “Abigail Crosby her Sampler in the thirteenth year of her age 1812,” it further presents alphabets, a horizontal band with an appealing organic floral design and a particularly good four-sided border with assorted flowers interspersed with grape bunches. The palette of rich blues, yellow and white on tan linen adds further to the visual appeal.

The Crosby family of Yorkshire, England came to America during the Great Migration, when over 20,000 people left England for New England between 1620 and 1640. Simon Crosby, age 26, with his wife Ann and their eight week old son Thomas, secured passage on the Susan and Ellen, arriving in Boston in July of 1635.

They settled initially in Cambridge and their son Simon (1637-1725/6) later removed to Billerica in 1659, becoming a leading citizen, land owner and innkeeper.

Five generations later, Abigail was born on May 15, 1799, the daughter of John and Abigail (Cook) Crosby. History of Billerica, Massachusetts with a Genealogical Register, by The Rev. Henry A. Hazen (Boston, 1883), documents this information and provides much more.

In 1822, Abigail married a farmer, Jeremiah Rogers, who was from another early Billerica family. Their only child, a son named William, was born in 1826. By 1850 the family removed to Londonderry, New Hampshire and Abigail died there at age 87 in 1886.

Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a molded and black painted frame.

Sampler size: 16¾” x 15¼”

Framed size: 19” x 17½”

Price: $4300.

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Eliza Hodges Oliver, Suffolk, Virginia, 1829

In the Neatest Manner: The Making of the Virginia Sampler Tradition by Kimberly Smith Ivey (Curious Works Press and The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1997) introduced us all to the needlework of Virginia and the specific regional groups within this body of work. While more Virginia samplers have been discovered since then, those made in the southern part of the state are considered rare and we are pleased to offer such a well-documented example.

This sampler was made in the town of Suffolk, which is located in the southeastern part of the state, south of Williamsburg. Signed, “Eliza Hodges Oliver’s Sampler Finished November 27th in the 12th Year of her age. Suffolk Virginia.” it also lists many family initials, beginning with TO and MO, those of Eliza’s parents, Thomas and Mary. Eliza was born on April 15, 1818 and in 1838, she married a man from a family with deep roots in the south, Richard Parker (1816-1857), son of Jesse and Sarah (Williams) Parker. The 1850 census recorded the family living in Nottaway Parish, Southampton County, Virginia where Richard was a farmer. They had nine children but, tragically, three of their sons, Richard, Jesse and Calvin died in the Civil War. Eliza died on April 21, 1863.

The sampler is in excellent condition and a photo taken of the reverse reveals that it retains much of its original color. Worked in silk on linen, it has been conservation mounted and is in a beveled and cherry and maple frame.

Sampler size: 19½” x 17¼”

Framed size: 23½” x 21¼”

Price: $12,000.

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Sarah Evans, Pennsylvania or Delaware, 1806 With alphabets, a prominent listing of family initials, Quaker design flower arrangements and a splendid four-sided border of queen’s-stitch strawberries, Sarah Evans’ sampler is both beautifully made and aesthetically pleasing. The sampler possesses the strength, simplicity and fine craftsmanship that well represent American samplers of the very early 19th century.

Confirmed by the initials that Sarah stitched across the center of her sampler, her parents were Thomas and Elizabeth Evans and her siblings were John (the letter I was often used for the letter J, even in the early 19th century) Evans, Eli Evans, Rees Evans, Jesse Evans, Mary Evans, David Evans, Thomas Evans and Ruth Evans – with Sarah listed as well, all born between 1768 and 1788. We are grateful to scholar and author, Susi Slocum, for her research into the Delaware Bible Records that uncovered the “Evans-Springer Bible Record,” which provided the identity and more specifics regarding the family. Sarah was born on May 1, 1785 and married Joseph Springer (1789-1827) on February 24, 1820 in New Castle County, Delaware.

Sarah and Joseph Springer had three sons, Thomas, Levi and Joseph, who were born between 1821 and 1827.

The Evans family lived early on in Pennsylvania. Thomas and Elizabeth (Moore) Evans were married in Philadelphia in 1767 and their children were born in Pennsylvania. At some point, they removed to Delaware where, in December 1807, the marriage of Sarah’s sister, Ruth, took place at Holy Trinity Church in Wilmington. An 1810 census record seems to place the Thomas and Elizabeth Evans family in Christiana Hundred, Delaware. Sarah may have lived in Delaware when she worked her samplers in 1806; however this is difficult to confirm. The family likely remained in Delaware and many marriages and deaths and burials were recorded there.

We know that the family had ties to the Quaker community. When Sarah’s father, Thomas Evans, died in 1826 he was buried at the Friends Burial Ground, Wilmington Monthly Meeting, and her mother was of Quaker heritage. Of particular note is the fact that Sarah made another sampler, also in 1806, that is very much like the many samplers made at Friends schools, and that sampler (although not in excellent condition) remains with this one.

Joseph Springer died on August 3, 1827, shortly after the birth of their last son.

Sarah died on August 12, 1863 at age 63; she is buried in the Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery. The sampler remained in the family for at least five generations and is accompanied by family notations that provide the line of descent.

The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition with one area of weakness to the linen, recently stabilized. It has been conservation mounted and is in a mahogany inlay frame.

Sampler size: 14½” x 11¾”

Framed size: 16¾” x 14”

Price: $3200.

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Abigail Elliot, Beverly, Massachusetts, circa 1832 This appealing sampler features a wonderfully informative inscription, which reads, “Abigail Elliot Sampler wrought in the twelveth [sic] year of her age born December 26 In the year of our Lord 1821 Beverly Massachusetts.” An excellent pictorial register along the bottom centers on a large, decorative basket of flowers flanked by trees and plants on a stylized, stepped lawn. The freeform flowers and trees contrast well with the geometric patterned basket, and the use of teal blue throughout adds to the visual strength.

Abigail was the daughter of John Elliot (b.1789) and Rebecca (Cleaves) Elliot (b.1802), and was born, as she states on her sampler, on December 26, 1821 in Beverly, Massachusetts, just north of Salem. Vital Records from the town of Beverly along with the Foster Genealogy (Chicago, 1899) indicate that on December 21, 1843, Abigail married Ezra Standley Foster (1820-1886), a cordwainer and farmer.

They remained in Beverly and had three sons. Abigail died on October 25, 1893; her husband predeceased her by seven years.

The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a beveled figured maple frame with a black bead.

Sampler size: 17” square

Framed size: 21” square

Price: $5400.

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Janet Gentle, Scotland, 1811 This Scottish sampler has a lovely, delicate quality to it, and was stitched by a maker with an equally pleasant name, Janet Gentle. Janet was just ten years old when she created this sampler; one is ten when in the eleventh year of one’s age, as she so notes in her inscription. This information is encircled by a very fine flowering vine and then surrounded by additional flowery sprigs. A notable, early decorative band spans the sampler above and the design of this band was carried over from the early 18th century. Many similar bands used in this fashion can be found in ‘Remember Now Thy Creator’: Scottish Girls’ Samplers, 1700-1872 by Naomi E A Tarrant (Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 2014). Additionally, this book is an excellent resource for other information and images of many interesting Scottish samplers and needlework.

Miss Gentle worked a most attractive composition grounded by a house, two sides shown, nestled between a pair of feather-light trees. Flowering fronds surround, and a larger basket of flowers, decorated with curlicues, are centered on the sampler, dividing the date, 1811, and flanked by a pair of facing, spiky birds each perched on a leafy branch worked in chenille. Below each bird is a white-worked crowned set of initials in a sawtooth box. These, IG and EM, are likely the initials of Janet’s parents, a device found on the great majority of Scottish samplers. Janet stitched a wide border of stylized flowers compartmentalized on an undulating vine, creating a good, strong framework.

Worked in silk and chenille thread on wool, the sampler remains in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into its original bird’s eye maple beveled frame with a gold liner.

Sampler size: 16½” x 13”

Framed size: 20” x 16½”

Price: $6800.

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Charlotte Beck, Pine Grove School, Burlington County, New Jersey, 1811 Charlotte Beck worked this excellent sampler while attending the Pine Grove School, a Quaker school near Evesham, Burlington County, New Jersey which first opened its doors in 1792. Interestingly, the sampler includes a depiction of Westtown School in Chester County, Pennsylvania - their iconic four-story, fourchimney building. Betty Ring, in Girlhood Embroidery, vol II, states that, “The Westtown School was a logical subject for samplers embroidered at Quaker schools, since it was an impressive structure housing a much respected institution that many Quaker children aspired to attend.” In fact, a number of samplers worked by students at different schools in Burlington County are known to include a rendering of this building. Charlotte’s sampler, however, is the only known Pine Grove School sampler to do so.

The sampler was included in the groundbreaking exhibition at the Morven Museum, “Hail Specimen of Female Art! New Jersey Schoolgirl Needlework, 1726-1860.” It is published as plate 75 in the accompanying book of the same name, one of the two Pine Grove School samplers. Other Quaker motifs, such as the basket of fruit, potted flowers, birds and a large queen’s-stitched heart were worked in a balanced composition, rendering this a sampler with strong aesthetic appeal.

To quote from Hail Specimen of Female Art!, “The verse selected by Charlotte for her sampler was extracted from the poem, “Stanza Subjoined to the Bill of Mortality of the Parish of All Saints Northampton,” written by the English poet, William Cowper in 1787. Cowper subsequently provided additional verses and the lines chosen by Charlotte were published in 1793.” The nicely stitched verse contrasts amusingly with the misspelled word, “Shool.”

Charlotte stitched on her sampler that she was born on December 21, 1797. She was the daughter of Samuel and Charlotte Beck, residents of Evesham, a family with ties to the Quaker community. In 1824, Charlotte married William E. Venicomb of Moorestown, New Jersey and they had one child, a daughter, Rebecca Venicomb. In 1860, Charlotte, age 63, was listed as a gentlewoman, living next door to her daughter and family in Evesham.

The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a cherry frame.

Sampler size: 16¼” x 12½”

Framed size: 18¾” x 15”

Price: $7400.

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Hannah Leggett, England, 1813 Christmas / Easter Sampler This fine English sampler was worked by Hannah Leggett in 1813, and features two verses in tablet composition above a variety of classic pictorial motifs. This pair of poems, found in The Universal Spelling Book; or, A New and Easy Guide to the English Language by Daniel Fenning, which was first published in 1756, celebrates the birth and death of Christ.

The plethora of imagery was neatly worked with precise stitching. A gradient green lawn grounds the work along the bottom with an unusually tilted basket full of leafy flowers resting center, displaying the underside of the basket on an inclined, striped piece of lawn. Notable amongst the small-scale motifs are a pair of “gold and silver” crowns comprised of remarkably tight little eyelet stitches, and a heart in shades of golden silk, as well, which resides in the top center dip between the pair of tablets.

A framework vine of carnations finishes the sampler’s composition.

Worked in silk on wool it remains in excellent condition, and has been conservation mounted into a black painted, molded frame.

Sampler size: 15¾” x 12½”

Framed size: 18” x 14¾”

Price: $2800.

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Frances Moor, England, circa 1820 Frances Moor worked this delightful little sampler when she was thirteen years old.

A classic house sits atop a patchwork lawn lined with pine trees, a dog and a sheep.

A grazing steer was incorporated into the scene, stacked above the sheep, along with a large bird and butterfly. A cluster of geometric starbursts, a pair of birds perched on clover plants, little hearts, an overstuffed basket and a fat pink carnation surround the house above. Pendulous green and red grape bunches hang from the patchwork lawn and into a separated composition of colorful birds and squirrels facing inward to a potted, flowering plant. A complimentary border completes Miss Moor’s sampler.

Worked in silk on wool, this sampler remains in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a mahogany frame with a gold liner.

Sampler size: 7¾” x 6½”

Framed size: 10” x 8¾”

Price: $2800.

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Mary Paul, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1821 Entitled, “Mary’s Wish,” this is a large and beautifully stitched sampler with the place name of Germantown, an early neighborhood in the northern section of Philadelphia and well known for the Revolutionary War battle fought there. A tightly worked rendition of a double-chimney Federal house sits on a small stepped lawn and an excellent assortment of motifs arranged in a balanced and airy composition contribute to the pictorial nature of the sampler. Our particular favorite is the tiny scene of the curly-tailed black dog flanked by stylized pine trees to the right of the roof. The great majority of the motifs are recognizable designs that originated in the many fine Quaker schools in the area, and likely indicators that the maker, Mary Paul, worked this sampler while attending a Quaker school.

The daughter of Henry K. and Ann (Coon) Paul, Mary was born 1809/1810 and the family lived in Germantown for generations. A wonderful book entitled Ancient and Modern Germantown, Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill by Rev. S. F. Hotchkin (Philadelphia, 1889), informs us that the Paul family bought the “antique” stone house at the corner of Main (now Germantown Ave.) and Gorgas Streets and that, “The door-jamb contained bullet marks of the Revolutionary times, while a tree in the rear was once pierced with a cannon ball.” Additionally that one of Mary’s brothers, Henry C. Paul, when a boy, stood nearby and, in 1824, observed Gen. Lafayette’s visit and recognition of the Germantown Blues, an important militia group.

The Paul family was no longer affiliated with a Friends Meeting but Mary’s father, Henry K. Paul maintained a relationship with the church. When he died in 1868, notice was published in the Friends’ Intelligencer. Mary remained single and died on September 24, 1898 at age 89. Along with many members, she is buried in old section of the cemetery of the Germantown Church of the Brethren.

Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, with some very slight darkening to the linen towards the upper part of the sampler. It has been conservation mounted and is in a beveled cherry frame with a maple bead.

Sampler size: 25¾” x 26¼”

Framed size: 30” x 30½”

Price: $5200.

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Elizabeth Nield, Multiplication Table, England, 1816 Needlework was indeed at the forefront of the education of young girls throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries. In many schools, however, they would have certainly been exposed to a well-rounded academic experience, too. Studies including mathematics, geography, history lessons, astronomy and, of course, literature have all been reflected in needlework; as with the good development of any worthy skill or knowledge, practice makes perfect. Elizabeth Nield practiced her needlework skill and her knowledge of arithmetic while stitching a multiplication table as the subject of a sampler.

Multiplication Table samplers are very rare, and all that we know were made in the British Isles. They have a striking graphic quality, of course, as the twelve-by-twelve grid of numbers is stitched in black thread, as if printed on a page. Of interest, in Micheál & Elizabeth Feller, The Needlework Collection: 2 (Needleprint, 2012), on p.

210, Mrs. Feller notes that “In old imperial money and measurements there were twelve pennies in one shilling and twelve inches to the foot, so the twelve times table was essential.” Alongside this text is an unfinished example of a Multiplication Table sampler made in England by Jemima Gowan, dated 1828.

Miss Nield’s sampler is completed with two tightly worked, narrow borders framing it. An inner border of a vine of soft pink flower buds, the same pink used for her lettering, and an outer modified Greek key border in blue. The addition of this decorative needlework provides an extra element of charm and aesthetic appeal.

Worked in silk on linen it remains in excellent condition with some slight loss to the outer border and a very few of the letters. It has been conservation mounted into beveled maple frame with a cherry outer bead.

Sampler size: 10½” square

Framed size: 14” square

Price: $7200.

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Hannah Eaby, Leacock Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1827 Theodorus Eby, known as “Durst” Eby, (1663-1727), a Mennonite, was born in Berne, Switzerland, but circa 1704 left there to escape religious persecution. After eleven years in the Palatinate, Germany and finding no relief to this oppression, he and other like-minded individuals sailed to America in 1715, landing in Philadelphia.

Settling in Roland’s Mill, south of New Holland, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, he and his wife, had six children and thus began the Eby / Eaby family in Pennsylvania.

Four generations later, Hannah Eaby was born on November 29, 1810, to blacksmith and farmer Jacob Eaby (1776-1842) and his wife Susannah (Miller) Eaby (17791863). Hannah was the fifth of their ten children and all of the Eaby family initials can found on her sampler: Joseph, Susanna, Moses, Maria, Peter, Daniel, Hannah, Lydia, Joseph, Anna, Susanna and Jacob. The family resided in Leacock Township, east of the city of Lancaster. A Brief Record of the Ebys From Their Arrival in America to My Grandparents Peter and Margaret Hess Eby, Their Descendants, My Uncles, Aunts and Their Cousins Their Births, Deaths and Ages, Together With Their Companions As Well As I Was Able to Learn, by Jacob Eby (Lancaster, PA, 1923) is very informative about the family and its history.

Interestingly, the sampler makes use of the 18th century form of the band sampler and is worked in a strongly vertical shape and made up of many horizontal bands of letters, designs and pictorial registers. The lowermost register includes some classic Pennsylvania German sampler motifs, including a chair, a teapot and stylized plants. Hannah was 17 years old when she worked this, older than most samplermakers of the period. In 1830, she married a farmer, John Ranck (18061890) and they remained in Lancaster County, living in the nearby town of Paradise, where they had seven children. Hannah died in 1882 and is buried along with many family members in the Strasburg Mennonite Cemetery. The Eby / Eaby name remains a prominent one in Lancaster County.

Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition and it has been conservation mounted into a molded and black painted frame.

Sampler size: 19” x 10¾”

Framed size: 21” x 12¾”

Price: $3600.

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S. A. Riddoch, England, 1862 Young girls from the working classes in England who were fortunate enough to attend schools often continued to make samplers, as a part of the curriculum of their lessons, into the mid and late 19th century, even when the tradition of this form of needlework had drawn to a close for other students. The great appeal of this particular sampler, of course, is that it was worked on a brilliant, red wool ground. We can assume that nine-yearold S. A. Riddoch was learning to stitch her letters for the first time, as the duplicate renderings of the first alphabet likely indicate.

The samplermaker may well have been Sarah A. Riddoch, who appears in the 1871 census, age 18, born circa 1853 in Kent, Woolwich, England. In 1871, Sarah was working as a servant and nursemaid in the household of a lumber merchant and his family.

Worked in silk on red wool, the sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a molded and painted black frame.

Sampler size: 14¾” x 8½” Framed size: 17” x 10¾” Price: $2200.

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Eliza H. Booth, Battle Creek, Calhoun County, Michigan, 1850 Few samplers were made in the regions west of Ohio because, understandably, a critical mass of population did not exist at the time samplers were still an important part of the American schoolgirl tradition. We seek out and enjoy finding these rare examples, such as this handsome piece made by Eliza H. Booth. Records indicate that Eliza was born in New York in 1840, and as evident by her handiwork she had moved to Michigan by the age of 10. An 1860 census record notes that she was living in Battle Creek, Calhoun County in particular, due east of Kalamazoo, and southwest of Lansing.

Miss Booth’s sampler is straightforward and quite charming. Likely a preliminary piece, Eliza cross-stitched long rows of three alphabets and a numerical progression.

Her inscription, worked in the same red linen thread as her other lettering, sits centered in the bottom register, and is flanked by a pair of plants with pendulous flowers in handled pots. An unusual linear border of alternating cross-stitched simple patterns surrounds the composition on all four sides.

Worked in linen and wool on coarse linen, Eliza’s sampler remains in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a period frame.

Sampler size: 9” x 18½”

Framed size: 12¾” x 22¼”

Price: $4400.

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Abigail H. Vinal, Scituate, Massachusetts, 1828 A large sampler with a beautiful composition and precise needlework, this is dated March 7, 1828 and was made by twelve-year-old Abigail H. Vinal of Scituate, Massachusetts. The lengthy poem is one of the most interesting to appear on any sampler – it describes the process of carefully stitching a sampler and then uses this as a metaphor for living a life of virtue and excellence. Abigail’s name is incorporated into the verse, further personalizing it. We have known of this wonderful poem to have been used only once previously, as it is documented in the book, American Samplers by Bolton and Coe (Massachusetts Society of the Colonial Dames, 1921), appearing on an 1808 sampler, using the name Mary in that case.

A pale blue alphabet is nicely centered above and another verse was stitched below. It reads, “Happy the female who can find / Constant employment in her mind / She for amusement need nor roam / Her pleasure centers in her home.”

An intricate border surrounds the sampler on three sides with flower pots grounding the bottom register.

The Vinal family in America began with John Vinal who was born in England and had emigrated to Massachusetts by 1636, according to Lineage Book of the National Society of Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America, volume XII (1924). His son, Israel Vinal (1725-1804) was a Revolutionary War patriot, and grandfather of Abigail.

Abigail was born on March 31, 1817 to a farmer, Hayward Vinal and his wife, Rebecca (Merritt) Vinal. She was married on October 13, 1844 to William Sylvester (1818-1871) and their son William Sylvester was born in 1850. Abigail Vinal Sylvester died on July 9, 1871, buried in the First Parish Cemetery, Norwell, Massachusetts.

The sampler is worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a molded and painted frame.

Sampler size: 20” x 17½”

Framed size: 22¼” x 17¾”

Price: $3800.

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Maria Hopwood, J. Spurr’s Academy, Dronfield, Derbyshire, England, 1798 This lovely sampler was worked by Maria Hopwood in 1798 at J. Spurr’s Academy in Dronfield. Dronfield is a small market town in the northeast area of Derbyshire, in the middle of England, and at the midway point between Sheffield to the north and Chesterfield to the south. Mr. Spurr, the academy’s master died just after Maria worked her sampler, in 1800. An advertisement card from 1829 indicates that the academy was taken over by another member of the Spurr family.

Evidently, J. Spurr’s Academy provided a high level of instruction in the needle arts to its student, as is validated by Maria’s sampler. There is a wonderfully organic quality to her work with the tendrilling, flowering sprigs framing her verse and central scene of a shepherdess; though this natural composition was planned and is revealed in the underlying inked drawing, which is visible in the shepherdess’s head.

Appealing texture is created with the chenille used in the flourishing basket containing Miss Hopwood’s inscription, which is shaded at the bottom to imply depth, as well as the surrounding imagery. Maria’s ability is also visible in the alphabet, which she uncommonly divided in half and used as the subtle white-onwhite left and right margins of her work. A band of deep magenta, golden yellow and emerald green chenille create a strong framework to the composition.

Worked in silk, chenille, wool thread and ink on a fine gauze linen, it is in excellent condition with slight loss to the silk in the lettering in the lower left corner and in “by” in her inscription. It has been conservation mounted into a beveled maple frame.

Sampler size: 16” x 14”

Framed size: 19” x 17”

Price: $4200.

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Margret Eliza Sturrup, probably New Jersey, 1811 A well composed sampler with a compelling and folky nature, this is signed, “Margret Eliza Sturrup Born May the Fourth 1797 Worked this May The 23 1811.”

Margret seems to have delighted in her depictions of an unusual two story house surmounted by a huge butterfly and flanked by charming young ladies, one holding a flower bud and the other a yellow bird. The narrow lawn is a nicely patterned band and further supports a rooster, two little dogs and highly stylized trees. Many fine motifs, arranged in a balanced format centered on a large basket of graceful, freeform flowers, fill the space above this scene and contribute to the strong appeal of the sampler.

A delicate palette of colors was used with narrow borders on three sides and a handsome, arcaded bottom border showcasing several large blossom flowers. The sampler shares characteristics with others made in southern New Jersey and is likely from that area.

Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a figured maple cornerblock frame.

Sampler size: 17¾” x 16¾”

Framed size: 21¼” x 20¾”

Price: $6800.

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Silk Embroidered Memorial to George Torrey, Scituate, Massachusetts, circa 1815 Writing in Girlhood Embroidery: American Samplers & Pictorial Needlework 1650 – 1850, vol. I, Betty Ring states that the majority of early 19th century mourning silk embroideries “appear to have been made as a record and a decoration rather than an expression of current grief, and they were the result of fashion rather than melancholy.” These mourning pictures generally focus on a specific person, recently deceased, and the most interesting ones feature a stylishly costumed young lady, likely a portrait of the needleworker herself.

The subject of this praiseworthy memorial is George Torrey of Scituate, Massachusetts, who died on July 13, 1813, at the age of 55, as is written in ink on the tomb of this silk embroidery. Specific information about George is documented in The Torrey Families and their Children in America, vol. I, by Frederic C. Torrey, A. M. (Lakehurst, NJ, 1924). He was born on January 19, 1758, as the last of the eight children of Capt. Caleb Torrey, a tavern owner, and his second wife Mary (Clap) Torrey. George was a ship builder and remained in Scituate his entire life. He married Thankful Otis in 1782, also of Scituate, and they had eight children.

We can presume that this silk embroidery was made by one of the younger daughters of George and Thankful. There is a fine quietude to this piece. A leafy willow with a twisted trunk hangs heavy over the memorial, with its monumental urn atop and mourning girl, and alongside a rippling blue river or pond. Rolling green hills are set in the distance. The painting of the face of the young lady in mourning is extremely fine, and wonderfully evocative.

Worked in silk and watercolor on silk, this embroidery is in excellent condition.

Importantly, it remains in its original frame and with its original eglomisé glass.

Size of the oval: 16¼” x 14”

Framed size: 21” x 19½”

Price: $8500.

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Hannah Perce, Gloucester County, New Jersey, 1809 This beautifully made and very interesting sampler was worked by Hannah Perce who was eleven years old in 1809. The Perce family lived in southern New Jersey, where Hannah was born on April 6, 1798 to John and Amy (Eldridge) Perce. As Hannah stitched on her sampler, “They were joined in Wedlock the 30 of June 1796.”

Hannah’s sampler is quite an accomplishment with a fine assortment of stitches.

The strawberries and carnations throughout the border as well as in a horizontal band were worked in the queen’s-stitch. Other areas include Irish-stitched and eyelet-stitched patterns. A band of unusual motifs worked by Hannah include a small winged cupid, a mother bird feeding her young in the nest, other birds and pots of flowers. The overall effect is splendid.

In October of 1814, Hannah married Job Pidgeon (1789-1859), a farmer, also of Gloucester County. They lived in Clement’s Bridge, a nearby farming area.

Photocopies of many handwritten documents including the record of their marriage and estate inventories of both John Perce and Job Pidgeon are included in the file that accompanies the sampler. Hannah had died by 1829.

The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition with one very minor area of weakness to the linen. It has been conservation mounted and is in its very good original inlaid frame.

Sampler size: 17½” square

Framed size: 19¼” square

Price: $12,500.

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Miranda Raymond, Littleton, Massachusetts, 1821 Miranda Raymond’s sampler presents alphabets, a numerical progression and her inscription in a handsome and classic format. A fine border of crinkled silk flower blossoms, both large and small, on stems, sprigs and leafy branches, surrounds the sampler in a freeform fashion, and a drawn-work stitch provides a very good outer edging, completing her composition well.

This is a wonderful example of the many samplers made by girls in New England as perhaps their second sampler project. Their lessons in the needle arts generally began with a simple marking sampler, which taught young girls to stitch their alphabets so that they could mark household linens. This basic skill would serve them well as women running households, as they would be marking their valuable bed linens to rotate their usage properly. A schoolgirl’s second project might resemble Miranda’s sampler in which the alphabets and numbers are nicely centered in a narrow sawtooth framework, and surrounded by a decorative border.

If she were to continue in her education in this field, a young lady’s next sampler would likely have presented a verse and a pictorial scene.

The Raymond family lived in Littleton, Massachusetts, a town in Middlesex County, 27 miles northwest of Boston. Various town vital records and published sources confirm that Miranda Raymond was born there on November 24, 1808, the daughter of Joseph and Rhoda (Woods) Raymond. In 1830, she married Emory Wood (1803-1868), son of Jabez and Nabby Wood who lived in nearby Harvard.

The couple resided in Harvard and had two children, Arvilla born in 1831 and Rhoda born in 1834. Miranda died young, in 1838, at age 29 and is buried at the Harvard Center Cemetery.

The sampler is worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a molded and black painted frame.

Sampler size: 13¼” x 11¾”

Framed size: 21” x 20”

Price: $2700.

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Sarah B. Wright, New Egypt, Monmouth County, New Jersey, 1827 The maker of this sampler was Sarah Baker Wright, born on June 15, 1816. She was the daughter of John Baker Wright and Rebecca (Gregory) Wright of New Egypt, Monmouth County (now in Ocean County), in central New Jersey. The Wright family had been early settlers of New Jersey, with their emigrant ancestor, Joshua Wright, settling near Falls (Trenton) as early as 1695.

Sarah was about 11 years old when she stitched this nicely developed sampler using a number of classic Quaker motifs. She worked flower sprigs and overstuffed baskets alongside a verse and her inscription, and included her parents’ names, as well as the name of one brother, Thomas, who was just younger than she. A simple pastoral scene was worked underneath, and a flowering and leafy vine surrounds it on four sides.

Records of the John Baker Wright family were published in the Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey, vol. 69, no. 3 (1994). Sarah was the third of the eight children in this family and married Abraham T. Burtis. She died in 1907 in Hornerstown, New Jersey.

The sampler was worked in silk on linen and remains in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a mahogany frame with line inlay.

Sampler size: 16¾” x 17¼”

Framed size: 17¼” x 17¾”

Price: $6800.

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Abigail Ingalls, Methuen, Massachusetts, 1811 The Ingalls family foothold in America began in 1628 when Edmund Ingalls (c.

1595-1648) arrived in Salem, Massachusetts and then became instrumental in the establishment of the town of Lynn. Subsequent generations moved to Andover and then to Methuen, which is just south of Haverhill in the northeast part of Massachusetts. Abigail Ingalls was born in Methuen on June 11, 1798 to Alfred and Mary (Stickney) Ingalls, the second of their five children. Alfred Ingalls (1763-1857) is known within Methuen records for his hand-drawn map of the town that he produced in 1794, the first known map of Methuen. Interestingly, the famous author, Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1949), is also descended from the same immigrant ancestor. More information is found in The Genealogy and History of the Ingalls Family in America, by Charles Burleigh, MD (Malden, Mass.).

In 1811, Abigail worked this particularly fine sampler including on it alphabets, a poem and a wonderful freeform and folky scene of flowers springing from a low checkerboard basket sitting on a lawn. Other flowering plants grow nearby and a graceful and refined flowering vine frames the sampler as a three-sided border.

Carefully worked satin stiches, in crinkled silk floss, create lustrous flowers and leaves. A delicate drawn-work edging provides a wonderful texture, as well.

The four lines of verse were widely used and often appear on samplers, as they speak of the value of works or actions accomplished by hand. While Benjamin Franklin and others are credited with authorship, the origin isn’t clear. Abigail’s date reads as 18011. Did her counting proceed from 1808 to 1809, and in keeping with that thought process, to 18010 and then to 18011?

The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in an early 19th century gold leaf frame.

Sampler size: 13½” x 11¾”

Framed size: 16½” x 14¾”

Price: $5200.

Selected Needlework Bibliography Allen, Gloria Seaman. Family Record Genealogical Watercolors and Needlework.

Washington, DC: DAR Museum, 1989.

A Maryland Sampling: Girlhood Embroidery, 1738-1860. Maryland Historical Society, 2007.

Columbia’s Daughters: Girlhood Embroidery from the District of Columbia. Chesapeake Book Company, Baltimore, Maryland, 2012.

Anderson, Lynne and Gloria Seaman Allen. Wrought with Careful Hand: Ties of Kinship on Delaware Samplers.

Biggs Museum of American Art with the Sampler Consortium, Dover, Delaware, 2014.

Arnolli, Gieneke and Rosalie Sloof. Letter voor Letter: Merklappen in de opvoeding van Friese meisjes.

Waanders Uitgevers, Zwolle and Fries Museum, Leeuwarden.

Bolton, Ethel Stanwood and Coe, Eve Johnston. American Samplers.

Boston: The Massachusetts Society of the Colonial Dames of America, 1921.

Brooks, Mary Uhl. Threads of Useful Learning: Westtown School Samplers. Westtown School, 2015.

Campanelli, Dan & Marty. A Sampling of Hunterdon County Needlework: The Motifs, The Makers & Their Stories.

Flemington, NJ: Hunterdon County Historical Society, 2013.

Edmonds, Mary Jaene. Samplers and Samplermakers, An American Schoolgirl Art 1700-1850. New York: Rizzoli, 1991.

Feller, Micheál & Elizabeth. The Feller Needlework Collection: 2. Needleprint, 2012.

Humphrey, Carol. Quaker School Girl Samplers from Ackworth. Needleprint & Ackworth School Estates Limited, 2006.

Ivey, Kimberly Smith. In the Neatest Manner: The Making of the Virginia Sampler Tradition.

Colonial Williamsburg and Curious Works Press, 1997.

Krueger, Glee F. A Gallery of American Samplers: The Theodore H. Kapnek Collection. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1978.

New England Samplers to 1840. Sturbridge, Massachusetts: Old Sturbridge Village, 1978.

Lukacher, Joanne Martin. Imitation and Improvement: The Norfolk Sampler Tradition. Redmond, WA: In the Company of Friends, LLC, 2013.

Morven Museum & Garden. Hail Specimen of Female Art! New Jersey Schoolgirl Needlework, 1726-1860.

Princeton, NJ, 2014.

Parmal, Pamela A. Samplers from A to Z. Boston, Massachusetts: MFA Publications, 2000.

Richter, Paula Bradstreet. Painted with Thread: The Art of American Embroidery. Salem, Massachusetts: Peabody Essex Museum Collections, 2001.

Ring, Betty. American Needlework Treasures. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1987.

Girlhood Embroidery: American Samplers & Pictorial Needlework, 1650-1850. Knopf, 1993.

Let Virtue be a Guide to Thee: Needlework in the Education of Rhode Island Women, 1730-1820.

Providence: The Rhode Island Historical Society, 1983.

Rounds, Leslie L. I My Needle Ply with Skill: Maine Schoolgirl Needlework of the Federal Era. Saco, Maine: Saco Museum, 2013 Schiffer, Margaret B. Historical Needlework of Pennsylvania. New York. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1968.

Schipper-van Lottum, M.G.A. Over merklappen geproken… Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Wereldbibliotheek bv, 1996.

Schoelwer, Susan P. Connecticut Needlework: Women, Art, and Family, 1740-1840. Hartford, Connecticut: The Connecticut Historical Society, 2010.

Staples, Kathy. Georgia’s Girlhood Embroidery: Crowned with Glory and Immortality. Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, 2015.

Studebaker, Sue. Ohio Samplers, School Girl Embroideries 1803-1850. Warren County Historical Society, 1988.

Ohio is My Dwelling Place. Ohio: Ohio University Press, 2002.

Swan, Susan B. Plain and Fancy: American Women and Their Needlework, 1700-1850,

New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1977.

Tarrant, Naomi E A. ‘Remember Now Thy Creator’ Scottish Girls’ Samplers, 1700-1872. Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Great Britain, 2014.

Conservation Mounting of Antique Samplers and Needlework Because of the important role that condition plays in the field of antique samplers and needlework, we strive to insure that these pieces undergo proper preservation while in our care. Below is a step-by-step description of the “conservation mounting� process. Our techniques are simple and straightforward; we remove the dust and dirt particles mechanically, never wet-cleaning the textiles. We use only acid-free materials and museum-approved techniques throughout the process.

Please call us if you have any questions in this regard.

q Carefully clean the piece using our special vacuum process. q Mount it by means of hand-sewing onto acid-free museum board that has

been slip-cased with fabric appropriate to the piece itself, and at the same time stabilize any holes or weak areas.

q Re-fit the item back into its original frame, or custom-make a reproduction

of an 18th or early 19th century frame using one of our exclusive patterns.

q Supply a reverse painted black glass mat, if appropriate, done in correct

antique manner.

q Install TruVue Conservation Clear glass which blocks 97% of the harmful

ultraviolet light.

q In the framing process, the needlework is properly spaced away from the

glass, and the backing is attached with special archival tape and hardware.

(detail of sampler by Almira Spencer, page 16)

(Image of the reverse of sampler by Hepsy Neal, page 4)