VOLUMEV
SAMPLINGS: A selected offering of antique samplers and needlework
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M.Finkel S Daughter. Americana Period Furniture • Early Textiles • Folk Art 936 Pine Street Philadelphia Pennsylvania 19107 215•627•7797 FAX 215•627•8199
Cover photograph:
Detail of Anna Greenleaf Johnson, Newburyport, Massachusetts, 1789, page 1.
Photographs by Will Brown Catalogue design by Taxi Graphics, Inc.
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DDDDDDDD CopyrightŠ 1994 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 permission in writing from M. Finkel & Daughter, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
SAMPLINGS ...•. Volume V With each issue of SAMPLINGS, we learn more about American samplers and needlework, and continue to be pleased with our good fortune in finding samplers which justify inclusion in our catalogues. In this, our fifth volume, we are offering 36 pieces, including three important and outstanding American samplers. We are particularly proud of our genealogical research, which bore fruitful results; thirteen samplers and one silk embroidery have become "reunited" with notable facts regarding the identity of the makers. This group of successes covers the spectrum of the samplers offered, from the most important to a simple marking sampler. The selected bibliography included at the end of the catalogue is regularly updated and we refer to some of the books as they pertain to specific samplers. If any of these books prove to be difficult to procure, let us know and perhaps we can assist in locating them. Our firm was established in 1947, and we have been at the same location for 43 years. We like to think our positive relationship with clients, many of whom are now second generation, is because of our commitment to customer satisfaction. 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 we are at the shop five days a week (except when we are exhibiting at an out-of-town antiques show). Please let know of your plans to visit us. Every item in this catalogue is guaranteed to be authentic and original, and you can rely on our expertise in describing each piece as to age and condition. Most of the samplers are described as being "conservation mounted", and where this is noted, the work has been properly done by our own TEXTILE RESTORATION DEPARTMENT. A description of the step-bystep process can be found at the end of this catalogue along with other information about our restoration services. All merchandise is offered subject to prior sale. Should your first choice be unavailable, we urge you to discuss your collecting objectives with either Amy or Morris Finkel or Nancy Shore. Our inventory is extensive, and we have many items not included in our catalogue. Moreover, through our sources, we can often locate the sampler that you are looking for; you will find us knowledgeable and helpful. Payment may be made by check, VISA, Mastercard or American Express, and we ask for payment with your order. Pennsylvania residents should add 7% sales tax. All items are sold with a 5 day return privilege. Expert packing is included; shipping and insurance costs are extra. We prefer to ship via UPS second day air, insured. When you order, we can tell you the cost for shipping and insurance.
Amy Finkel Morris Finkel Nancy Shore
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 sent to us will receive our prompt attention. Call us at 215-627-7797 for more information.
M.Finkel eJ Daughter. Americana Period Furniture • Early Textiles • Folk Art 936 Pine Street Philadelphia Pennsylvania 19107 215•627•7797 FAX 215•627•8199
ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF CONTENTS Anonymous and Partially Unfinished sampler, c.1815 ....................................................................... page 11 Abigail Bartlett, Newburyport, Mass., c.1810 ..................................................................................... page 27 Eloisa Arnold Brown, Providence, R.I., 1812 .................................................................................... page 12 Sarah L. Buckman, Patriotic Motif sampler, 1840 .............................................................................. page
4
Elizabeth Buntin, c. 1790 .................................................................................................................... page 15 Elizabeth Cline, Warren Co., N.J., 1837 ............................................................................................ page 15 Ann Marie Foltz, Lancaster Co., Pa., c. 1830 ...................................................................................... page 10 Sarah H. Fox, Berkley, Mass., 1821 .................................................................................................... page
7
Rebecca Elizabeth Gel wick, 1837 ....................................................................................................... page 23 Elizabeth A. Goshen, Lancaster Co., Pa., c. 1832 ............................................................................... page 13 Martha Gregory, 1741 ......................................................................................................................... page 21 Francis Harrison, Charlestown, Mass., 1812 ....................................................................................... page 18 Anna Greenleaf Johnson, Newburyport, Mass., 1789 ......................................................................... page
1
Sarah Johnstin, Maytown, Lancaster Co., Pa., 1831 ........................................................................... page 17 Hannah Jones, Chester Co., Pa., 1786 ................................................................................................. page
9
Ellen Kelly, c. 1800 ............................................................................................................................. page 24 C.H.L., Union Forever, 1862 ............................................................................................................... page
6
Lapp/Smoker, Lancaster Co., Amish, c. 1916 ..................................................................................... page
9
Mary Luckam, Devon, England, 1839 ................................................................................................ page 22
Margaret MacLean, 1794 .................................................................................................................... page
3
Elizabeth McCormick, 1819 ................................................................................................................ page 19 Metallic Marking sampler, 1828 ......................................................................................................... page 26 Miniature Three-Towered Structure, c. 1815 ...................................................................................... page 23 Mary H. Parker, Waltham, Mass., 1838 ............................................................................................. page 21 Hannah Baldwin Pierson, N.J., 1827 ................................................................................................... page 19 Queens Stitch Purse, American, c.1790 .............................................................................................. page 20 Elizabeth R. Richardson, Pittsburgh, 1841 .......................................................................................... page
8
Elizabeth Sellers, Pennsylvania, 1845 ................................................................................................. page 24 Harriet Spofford, Rowley, Mass., c. 1825 ........................................................................................... page 22 Elizabeth Stauffer, Pennsylvania, 1843 ............................................................................................... page
2
Priscilla Stearns, Bethel, 1816 ............................................................................................................. page
2
Cornelia Stryker, Somerset Co., N.J., 1823 ......................................................................................... page
5
Hannah Ann Tindall, Trenton, N.J., 1839 ........................................................................................... page 25 Eliza Townsend and Mary Townsend, Westmoreland, N.Y., 1832 .................................................... page 16 Sarah Waldner, South Dakota, c. 1912 ................................................................................................ page 14 Mary Woodward, Westminster, Mass., c. 1812 .................................................................................. page
6
1 Anna Greenleaf Johnson, Newburyport, Mass., 1789 It is truly a pleasure to offer this rare and important Newburyport sampler, worked by nine-year-old Anna Greenleaf Johnson, the oldest daughter of one of Newburyport's most prominent citizens. Anna's parents were Nicholas Johnson (1752- 1825) and Mary Perkins Johnson (1755 - 1829); Nicholas counted among his accomplishments the fact that the ship he commanded during the Revolutionary War, the Count de Grasse, was the first vessel to hoist the American flag in the Thames River at the close of the war. He was a very successful merchant and shipper, as well as a selectman of the town, a founder of the Merrimack Humane Society and a master of the Newburyport Marine Society. Their imposing brick house at the comer of Federal and Milk Streets in Newburyport was known as "Beauty's Bower" - a name which referred to the nine unusually beautiful Johnson children. It is interesting to note that a highly important sampler made by Anna's younger sister, Sally, in 1799, is in the collection of the Milwaukee Art Museum and is illustrated in both Ring's Girlhood Embroidery and Bene's Old-Town and the Waterside (a publication of the Historical Society of Old Newbury). Mrs. Ring writes that Sally Johnson's sampler is the "most extraordinary" of its type. Clearly the Johnson girls were not only lovely to look at, but quite talented in the needle arts as well. Our sampler is inscribed: "Anna Greenleaf Johnson Was Born March The 18th 1780 Work'd This Sampler 1789" (in beige silk floss above the pictorial scene). Anna married Ebenezer Dole on March 9, 1808 and died in 1810. The format, design and motifs of this sampler are highly recognizable and place it in a group of important pieces from Newbury and Newburyport whose dates span from 1750 to 1810. The specific designs include these fruit trees, the twohandled blue vase, hillocks, backward-looking birds, bugs, dogs and sheep. Further information regarding this group can be found in Volume I of Ring's Girlhood Embroidery, beginning on page 114. Anna's sampler is certainly one of the finest of the grouping from the standpoint of design as well as execution. Her stitches include the french knot, satin, whip, flat, seed, and queen's stitch, all of which are flawlessly rendered. The silk and crinkled silk threads are augmented by metallic threads used for the wonderful detail of the dog's collar. The sampler is in excellent condition, and been conservation mounted into its fine, original painted and molded frame, using clear conservation glass. Sampler size: 21W' X 15~". Price: $18,500.
M.Finkel S Daughter. DDDDDDDD
2 Priscilla Stearns, Bethel, 1816 One can only believe that ten-year old Priscilla Stearns enjoyed working her sampler enormously. Her choice of verse "Be improvement my employ Doing good my greatest joy" would seem to confirm the exuberant and fanciful nature of this piece. The fully-worked geometric diamond border made of crinkled silk is actually quite unusual, as most samplermakers chose delicate floral vines to enclose their work. Young Priscilla was working in the town of Bethel, and while there existed towns of that name in quite a few states, it is most likely that she was from Bethel, Connecticut, a small town in Fairfield County. The format and specific motifs seem most consistent with samplers from Connecticut. We do know from the inscription that "Priscilla Stearns [was] born May 14, 1806" and that she was ten years old when she accomplished this work. Silk on linen, in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a fine period mahogany frame with a maple bead. Sampler size: lOW' X 12W'. Price: $2,850.
Elizabeth Stauffer, 1843 Elizabeth Stauffer worked this brightly colored and very pleasing mirror-image Pennsylvania German sampler in 1843, probably in Lancaster County. Her charming motifs include many flower pots containing classic Pennsylvania German upright and pendulous carnations, tulips and other flowers, two richly detailed pairs of birds and two wonderful geometric stars. The needleworker inscribed her name in typical "in-line" Pennsylvania German fashion after her first alphabet, and she worked her initials along the bottom of the sampler. The wool, silk and linen with which she worked sparkle against the unbleached tan linen; the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a cherry frame with an ebonized bead and a wonderful crackle finish. Sampler size: 16W' X 16W'. Price: $2,600.
M.Finkel S Daughter. DDDDDDDD
3 ~argaret~acLean,
1794
This is positively a gem: a small, fully worked 18th century sampler in glowing colors depicting an outstanding blue house with six birds perched upon it. This splendid example was made by Margaret MacLean at eight years of age, in 1794. The skill and patience required to execute a fully worked sampler such as this could daunt an experienced needleworker many times her age, but this needlework is flawless.
It is probable that this sampler originates in Scotland and it is worked in silk on linen. The condition is excellent and it has been conservation mounted into a gold leaf and burl frame. Sampler size: 12W'x 97'4''. Price: $8,500.
M.Finkel ~Daughter. DDDDDDDD
4 Sarah L. Buckman, 1840 Samplers that feature an occasional patriotic motif are rare, and those that include political imagery are even more so; it is extremely uncommon to fmd a sampler that displays these images exclusively. Our exceptional Sarah L. Buckman sampler, made most likely in the mid-Atlantic states, exhibits an American flag, a log cabin, and an eagle and shield along with the inscriptions, "Penn Franklin and Washington, '76 Harrison Liberty Independence Log Cabin". The sampler is dated 1840, the year of the presidential campaign and election of William Henry Harrison. He was raised in a log cabin and that image became an important one in his campaign (along with the slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler too" which referred to Harrison's victory over the Indians at Tippecanoe and to his running mate, John Tyler [who became president by succession, at President Harrison's death, one month after his inauguration in March, 1841]). The election took place in November of 1840, and it is not known if the sampler was executed during the campaign or after the election. Sarah Buckman worked in a horizontal format, with her marking alphabets above and her name enclosed in an elongated cartouche. The stitches are primarily the cross and chain stitches and a combination of silk, wool and linen were worked onto linen. The sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a beveled cherry frame. Sampler size: 73f." X 18". Price: $4,200.
M.Finkel ~Daughter. DDDDDDDD
5 Cornelia Stryker, Somerset County, N.J., 1823 We are truly thrilled to offer this extraordinary sampler; it is one of the most visually appealing pieces to come onto the market in many years. The strength of the design and the intensity of the colors serve this sampler beautifully. Obviously Cornelia Stryker was accomplishing her needlework under the tutelage of a talented and ambitious teacher. The sampler is inscribed: "Cornelia Stryker was born July the 8, 1810, 1823 GSB CS". She was the only daughter of Gerardus Beekman Stryker and his wife Catherine Conover Stryker. They were both from small towns in Somerset County, NJ. and continued to live and farm near the town of Rocky hill. Cornelia married Jeremiah VanDeventer February 5, 1831; he was, or became, the president of the Plainfield New Jersey National Bank. Cornelia's sampler is replete with pictorial images and motifs, including a great number of flower pots, birds, hearts, and of course the three densely worked brick houses, which are unlike any architecture that has appeared up until now on needlework. These houses were fully worked in cross-stitch, the doors in the chain stitch and the technique used to enhance the roofs is a cross-stitch variation. The alphabet is worked in the eyelet stitch and the sawtooth borders at the bottom are satin-stitched. The sampler is in excellent condition, worked in silk on linen and has been conservation mounted into a fine early 19th century mahogany frame, using clear conservation glass. Sampler size: 17'' X 16W'. Price: $18,000.
M.Finkel e'; Daughter. DDDDDDDD
6 Mary Woodard, Westminster, Mass., circa 1812 An endearing marking sampler, the first step in a young girl's education in the needle arts, was worked circa 1812 by Mary Woodard of Westminster, Massachusetts, a small town in the north central part of the state. Mary was born on January 10, 1805, the sixth child of Abel and Tabitha (Beard) Woodard. According to the History of Westminster, Massachusetts, Mary's father was a military man and they resided on the "old family homestead". The sampler was worked in silk on linen in the cross, star and tent stitches; it is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a 19th century gilt frame. Sampler size: 8Y."x9". Price : $950.
C.H.L., 1862, Union Forever In the early years of the Civil War an anonymous needleworker with the initials C.H.L. worked this engaging patriotic picture, the focus of which is a waving flag inscribed "Union Forever". The small cottage, with its fruit bearing tree, carries the designation "Sweet Home", and the entire picture is surrounded by a vigorous floral vine border. The merino wool yams were worked onto a berlin canvas with a penelope weave, typical of the third quarter of the nineteenth century. It is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a period walnut frame with a gilt liner. Sampler size: 16" X 11 )'S".
Price: $1,250.
M.Fiokel eJJ Daughter. DDDDDDDD
7 Sally H. Fox, Berkley, [Mass.], 1821 This extremely appealing sampler was worked in the town of Berkley in Bristol County, Massachusetts by Sally H. Fox in her 8th year, in 1821. The verse below the alphabet is a favorite of ours: This needlework of mine can tell I in my youth was learned well And by my elders I've been taught Not to spend my time for naught. The pictorial scene, a particularly graceful composition, depicts two ladies and a young girl, each holding a small bouquet, many birds and two small dogs in a garden setting by the side of a handsome house. The undulating side borders, worked primarily in a deep green, contain this sampler well. The young samplermaker inscribed her initials at the bottom lower right of the sampler and the initials ''P.B.", most likely those of her teacher, in the lower left. The sampler is worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition; it has been conservation mounted into a beveled cherry frame. Sampler size:
16l!z" X 17'!4''. Price: $9,000.
my .}vouth
wa.& learned well nd by my elders lve been ta.u¡&ht to -f'Pt'nt!l a:imt For nov hr: tr;t
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M.Finkel S Daughter. DDDDDDDD
8 Elizabeth R. Richardson, Pittsburgh, 1841 We are pleased to offer this large and handsome sampler worked by Elizabeth R. Richardson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1841. Her ambitious fruit bowl fairly jumps off the linen, and exhibits a painterly quality rarely seen in needlework. Elizabeth incorporated an inscription to memorialize a family member or friend, whose name, originally, was most likely worked above her own name. The choice of melancholic verse worked at the top is consistent with this commemoration, and was very fashionable in the early 19th century. The compact, cross-stitched floral border was arranged in a particularly rhythmic design which serves the sampler well, and balances the explosion of fruit and greenery. The footed compote was worked in three shades of blue and convinces the viewer of its fully rounded nature. Worked in wool and silk on linen, this sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into its original walnut molded frame with gilt liner. Sampler size: 19W' X 25". Price: $3,200.
M.Finkel S Daughter. DDDDDDDD
9 Hannah Jones, Chester County, Pa., 1786 This wonderfully refmed 18th century Chester County sampler was made by Hannah Jones and bears a great similarity to the sampler worked by Hannah Maris, also dated 1786, published in Arts and Crafts of Chester County, Pennsylvania by Margaret Schiffer. Our sampler is designed in the identical format and shares many of the exact motifs, including the fruit-bearing trees and a finely worked basket of queen's stitched strawberries; it is easy to imagine these two young ladies working side by side on their needlework. Hannah Jones availed herself of a maxim that well represents the selection of verse offered to 18th century schoolgirls by their teachers: "'Tis bright example best instructs the heart Beyond what wisest precepts can impart". The stitches demonstrated on this sampler include the satin, queen's and cross-stitch all tightly worked with great precision and in polychrome shades of silk onto the sheerest of tiffany linen. The sampler is in excellent condition, with a bit of loss to the silk, and has been conservation mounted into its fine original painted frame. Sampler size: 16W' X 12W'. Price: $4,200.
Lapp/Smoker Family, Lancaster County Pa. Amish, circa 1915 Memorial samplers were one of the very few wall decorations allowed in the Amish home and we are pleased to offer this wonderfully dignified example from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was made circa 1915 by an anonymous needle worker in memory of two cousins, Barbara Lapp and John Smoker. The arithmetic seems to be off, however, as both of the children were actually a year younger than recorded on this sampler, according to the dates of their birth and death.
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Memory of co t•slns Barbara
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vJ as Born Oct 1 Jqoe Died J a 11 ~ Jql ~ AGe l.f Years 3 mt ~ . d&Ys
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John Smoker Was . Boru Oct z 19qs Dt~d Feb ~o ~q13 ' Awe IS y ears !"f ;,l'JnU,, / ~1.
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Small braided wreaths of hair were attached to the sampler with silk bows, a sentimental tradition that was popular in the mid 19th century and sustained by the Amish. The dark blue wool threads were worked onto penelope weave linen, and the sampler is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into its original comer block frame.
M.Fiokel ~Daughter. DDDDDDDD
Sampler size:
lOW' X 1312''. Price: $1,800.
10 Ann Maria Foltz, Pennsylvania, circa 1830 This charming and gracefully balanced sampler has a great deal of appeal, both visually and in the context of other known Lancaster County, Pennsylvania samplers. It was worked by Ann Maria Foltz circa 1830 and features an unusual three-quarter view of a brick house; this same depiction is found on earlier, important samplers from the school of Mrs. Leah Galligher of Lancaster County. The checkerboard well-house and distinctive pine tree, in this case each with a small bird atop, are also found on samplers from this area. The tightly worked inscription, which is enclosed in a cartouche, reads as follows: "Ann Maria Foltz worked this sampler in the 10 year of her age July the 26". It is probable that the needleworker later removed the threads that indicated the year in which she completed her work, but all the clues point to 1830. Research discloses Ann Maria Foltz, the daughter of Jonathon and Elisabeth Foltz of Lancaster County, who was born in 1820, and her marriage to Edmund M. Kline in 1851 was recorded by the Lancaster Moravian Church. This sampler was worked in silk on linen, is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a lovely tiger maple frame. Sampler size: 17" x 15~". Price: $4,800.
M.Finkel e; Daughter.
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11 Anonymous and Partially Unfinished Sampler, circa 1815 It is possible that words cannot accurately describe this extremely appealing needlework picture, worked most likely in New York state, by a talented needleworker who imbued the piece with a strong sense of whimsy yet left her sampler partially incomplete. This unfinished state allows us to see a fascinating and rarely glimpsed "work in progress" sampler; the hom of plenty and pink flower above it on the right are complete, as compared to those on the left which were not fully worked. The unknown needleworker incorporated a variety of stitches to accomplish the arabesque nature of her designs (french knots, tent, satin and cross-stitch) and used the running stitch to outline the motifs initially. When the sampler was made it was sewn onto paper which was a calligraphy practice sheet, with wonderful and archaic words, such as "malefactor" and "abasement" repeated many times. This piece of paper, now unframed, remains with the sampler. Worked in silk on linen, in excellent condition, and conservation mounted into a fine early 19th century tiger maple and mahogany beveled frame. Sampler size: 10" X 9W'. Price: $3,600.
M.Finkel S Daughter.
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12 Eloisa Arnold Brown, Providence, 1812 An immensely pleasing sampler, this piece was made by Eloisa Arnold Brown at thirteen years of age and was completed on October 29, 1812. The needleworker names Providence as her town, and she may well have been a member of the prominent family from which Brown University derives its name.
The low basket ftlled with flowers, the expanded cartouche and the four large hearts flanking the verse all contribute to the desirability of this piece. The liberal use of blue threads is somewhat unusual and certainly appealing, and the presence of the tent, satin, seed and eyelet stitches attest to the advanced level of accomplishment of young Eloisa. The sampler is worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a fine Federal style walnut frame. Sampler size: 15Y." X 14". Price: $5,500.
M.Finkel S Daughter. DDDDDDDD
13 Elizabeth A. Goshen, Lancaster Co. Pa., circa 1832 On AprilS, 1820 Elizabeth A. Goshen was born, the daughter of Houston and Christina (Schneider) Goshen of Brecknock Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. We are extremely fortunate to have acquired this large and outstanding pictorial sampler that she must have taken great delight in working, when she did so circa 1832. The birds, animals, baskets, house and borders all reflect an unrestricted exuberance that is not commonly seen on samplers. The naive perspective of the picket fence and paths and the impossibly fat blue birds perched on their twigs strengthen this impression of naivete. Elizabeth's sampler retains its original green silk shirred ribbon and rosettes, found more typically on important pieces from Chester County, which is, in fact, barely a township away. Elizabeth Goshen married a carpenter, Isaias Weaver (1815-1897), and they resided near Hinkletown in Lancaster County. Elizabeth Goshen Weaver had six children and she died in 1898. Her sampler was worked in silk and crinkled silk onto linen and is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a wonderful mahogany Federal style frame. Sampler size: 22" X 26". Price: $17,000.
M.Finkel e!J Daughter. DDDDDDDD
14 Sarah Waldner, South Dakota, circa 1912 This exuberant example of late cross-stitch is a documented sampler from a Hutterite colony located in Brookings, South Dakota, circa 1912. The Hutterites are a religious group which bears great similarity to the Mennonites, and they established themselves in communities, or colonies, homesteading the Dakota Territory in the mid 1870's. Sarah Waldner was born February 12, 1900 in South Dakota, the seventh child of a farmer, Frederick Waldner and his wife Susanna (Wipt) Waldner, both of whom had emigrated to the United States from Russia in 1874 and lived their lives within the Hutterite colony in South Dakota. Their daughter Sarah later married Rev. Zackarias Wollman and they also lived within the colony. Young Sarah's needlework clearly illustrates that extremely fine needlework maintained its popularity in certain areas of this country after ceasing to be generally popular. Her twenty four different and highly intricate alphabets and many varied pictorial motifs are worked with meticulous precision. The lowermost inscription, worked in the German language taught in the Hutterite schools, translates as follows: "All loving angels may my guardians be". Sarah worked her parents' initials inside a geometric star and her own initials inside a wreath, and it is likely that other of the motifs had significance to the young needleworker as well. The sampler is worked in silk on linen and it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a molded frame. Sampler size: 17W' X 22\t.''. Price: $2,400.
M.Finkel e'; Daughter. DDDDDDDD
15 Elizabeth Cline, Warren County, N.J., 1837 This beautifully rendered sampler, which features an imposing house set upon an undulating lawn with trees to match, is inscribed : "Elizabeth Cline wrought this sampler in her 15th year 1837". Family history that accompanied the sampler indicates that the maker was from New Village, New Jersey, a small town in Warren County, and research has confirmed this fact. We beleive she was the daughter of Lewis Cline, a farmer who lived in Harmony Township with his wife, Sarah. The family is listed in the 1830 census and their daughter, Elizabeth is mentioned in the 1891 will of Lewis Cline. Her unusually fine, almost shimmering cross-stitch indicates a very high level of skill in the needle arts; it is not a simple task to work as rich a floral border as appears on this sampler. The use of the hem stitch along the four edges is also interesting to note. The sampler is made of silk on linen and is in excellent condition with some slight loss; it has been conservation mounted into the painted 19th century frame that preserved it for many years. Sampler size: 17W' square. Price: $4,800.
Elizabeth Buntin, circa 1790 A wonderfully charming American sampler, this example was worked by Elizabeth Buntin at age 12, probably in New England. Her alphabets illustrate the archaic form of the letter "A" as well as the absence of the letter "J", both signs of an early sampler. Elizabeth used her polychromed silks to wonderful advantage; the hillocks are each worked in four varying shades of green. The sampler is in excellent condition, worked in silk on linen, conservation mounted into a mid 19th century mahogany veneered frame. Sampler size: 10" X 8". Price: $2,650.
M.Finkel e!J Daughter. DDDDDDDD
16 Eliza Townsend and Mary Townsend, 1832, Westmoreland, N.Y. Samplers that were made by sisters and have remained together are a rarity and we were pleased to find this lovely pair from Oneida County, New York. Eliza Townsend worked her sampler, featuring two houses in an elongated hexagon, with a fitting aphorism at the bottom of her piece: "The needle and pen teach wisdom". Eliza was born May 5, 1821 and finished her sampler on June 11, 1832. Her older sister worked a family record sampler which is inscribed "Mary Townsend Westmoreland Oneida Co. New York July 10 1832 Aged 13 years". Mary was born May 17, 1819 and they were the daughters of Nathaniel and Hepsibah Townsend (she seems to have married Mr. Townsend after the death of his first wife). It is clear from the similarities between the two samplers that the girls attended school together and the pieces are dated one month apart. But it is also discernable that the older sister was the more skilled needlworker and her sampler evidences tighter, finer stitches. Both samplers are in excellent condition, worked in silk on linen and mounted into maple frames. Sampler size: Eliza- 16X'' x 17X''. Mary - 16W' X 17~". Price: $4,800 for the pair.
M.Finkel (;Daughter.
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17 Sarah Johnstin, Maytown, Lancaster County, Pa., 1831 Our praiseworthy sampler Pennsylvania sampler, made by Sarah Johnstin at age 11, is a lustrous and charming example that relates closely to the sampler made by Catherine Stape in 1832, published in Edmonds' Samplers & Samplermakers (page110) and exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1991-92. Both the girls lived in Maytown, East Donegal Township, Lancaster County, then a small "village of twenty-five to thirty dwellings, stores and taverns", according to Ms. Edmonds. Our needleworker was born in 1820, the daughter of Francis and Catharine J ohnstin, and the couple appears in the 1830 census in Maytown with their five children. Young Sarah was quite accomplished at her pictorial needlework and must have enjoyed working this delightful scene which includes a very tall lady in fashionable attire holding a book and a basket, her tiny dog, a pump with a miniature bird atop, and blue smoke puffing out of the chimneys. The same house, tree and imposing figure appear on the Stape sampler and it is clear that the two young ladies were students of the same instructress. This sampler is in excellent condition, worked in silk on linen, conservation mounted into a fine tiger maple corner block frame. Sampler size: 17'' X 16". Price: $8,500.
M.Finkel S Daughter. DDDDDDDD
18 Francis Harrison, Charlestown, Massachusetts, 1812 Francis Harrison was born on December 16, 1803, one of ten children of Charlotte Noble Harrison and her husband James Harrison, a wealthy merchant of Charlestown. Their prominent house, at the comer of Main & High Streets, was well known for its fruit trees and gardens in this harbor town on the Charles River, which was incorporated into Boston in 1837. This delighful sampler that Francis worked in 1812, when she was only eight years old, is a fascinating example that incorporates mica for the windows of the house and paint for the background landscape and sky. Pieces of mica were sewn onto the sampler with silk threads that imply diamond shaped mullions, and the paint is reminiscent of the group of samplers from Plymouth, Massachusetts slightly later in the 19th century. Young Francis employed some wonderful stitches on her sampler; the trees near the house are worked with french knots, the red strawberries are tent stitched and the lustrous sawtooth canopy is executed in the satin stitch. The sampler is in excellent condition, worked in silk on linen, and conservation mounted into a 19th century gilt frame. Sampler size: 1612'' X 15X" . Price: $7,500.
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19 Elizabeth McCormick, 1819 Our very pleasing American sampler focuses on a particularly handsome double chimney house flanked by cypress trees and fully trellised gazebos set upon a low hill. The samplermaker was not a young girl as her inscription, "Elizabeth McCormick was born december 8th 1792 and worked this in 1819" indicates. She was 27 years old and her experience with the needle is easily discerned here. The use of the cross-stitch and eyelet stitch is augmented by the button hole stitch overworked on the chimneys, and there is an engaging overall precision to both the design and execution of this work which is also most likely a byproduct of the experience and age of the needleworker. The sampler was worked in silk on linen, and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a lovely beveled tiger maple frame with an ebonized bead. Sampler size: 16W'square. Price: $4,200.
Hannah Baldwin Pierson, New Jersey, 1827 This samplermaker completed her endearing little example on October 1, 1827, at age 11 years. Hannah Baldwin Pierson must have known that later enthusiasts would be interested in the geographic origins of samplers, and kindly indicated the abbreviation of New Jersey under her name. The border of plump strawberries surrounds neatly worked alphabets and a lovely fruit tree that is growing out of a blue and tan geometric basket. The basket rests on a green cross-stitched platform which implies a lawn; perhaps the sampler that Hannah would next work would be a classic Delaware Valley lawn and house example. The sampler is worked in silk on linen, is in excellent condition, and has been conservation mounted into a terrific 1830's frame with its original grain paint. Sampler size:
lOW' X 8X". Price: $1,850.
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20 Queen's Stitch Pocketbook, circa 1790 We are quite pleased to offer this splendid polychrome American pocketbook which was fully worked in queen's stitch in an unusually rich palette of colored silk threads. Family information that accompanies the piece indicates that it was worked by Mrs. Edward Crosby, circa 1790; connisseurship of these pocketbooks would certainly indicate the piece to be from the last quarter of the eighteenth century. The fully worked pattern includes three lovely strawberries at the bottom, and a wonderful diamond grid integral to the entire piece. The pocketbook is in pristine condition and has been conservation mounted into a walnut shadow box Federal style frame. Size of the pocketbook: 17'' X 7". Price: $1,750.
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21 Martha Gregory, 1741 Martha Gregory exhorts us with this fitting aphorism stitched into three compartments across the center of her sampler: "Learn to excell in doing well, How Beautiful and Fine is are Yet nature doth excell, to Imitate has been my part and may you like It Well". This splendid English band sampler is clearly the work of a meticulous needleworker; the stylized bands and letter-perfect verse represent design and execution of the fmest quality. This type of sampler was a prototype for the Philadelphia band sampler of the mid 18th century. Our example was worked in silk on wool and is in very good condition with a few small holes. It has been conservation mounted into a later maple frame with a gilt liner. Sampler size: llW' x8W'. Price: $2,650.
Mary Parker, Waltham, Massachusetts, 1838 Mary Hammond Parker, aged 11,
finished this lustrous sampler on December 22, 1838 in the town of Waltham, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. She was the oldest daughter of Issac and Lucy (Dunsmore) Parker, and was born on March 4, 1827. Mary married Shubael Treat on July 2, 1845, and they lived in Waltham where they had three children. After the death of her husband, she married again, this time on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, in 1867 to Mortimer Lewis and they resided in San Francisco. The sampler is unusual in that the satin stitches used to form the flowers, tendrilled grape bunches, and low vases were executed in 6-ply silk, as opposed to the more typical2-ply. The resulting work has an extravagant quality rarely enncountered in needlework. The alphabet, inscription and verse were worked in the cross-stitch, and in 2-ply silk. The sampler was worked in silk on linen, is in excellent condition, and has been conservation mounted into a 19th century gilt frame.
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Sampler size: 16%'' X 17''. Price: $2,450.
22
Mary Luckham, Devon, England, 1839 Our refined and traditional English sampler was made in the village of South Milton on the Mole River in Devon by Mary Luckham, aged 16, who finished her needlework in June of 1839. The religious verse is accompanied by a wonderful maxim that gives credit to the education that the needleworker was in the process of receiving: "There is nothing worth so much as a mind well instructed". It is all worked with letter-perfect precision and surrounded by a handsome tulip border. Silk on wool, in excellent condition, the sampler has been conservation mounted into a handsome oak frame from a later period. Sampler size: 1212'' X 11". Price: $1,850.
Harriet Spofford, Rowley, Mass., circa 1825 This miniature sampler is a wonderful document of the birth of Harriet Spofford who "was born in Rowley Mass Wed Nov 4th 1814". It is probable that she worked the sampler herself when she was approximately ten years old and first learning to make samplers. One cannot help but notice that she had difficulty fitting the last letter of her name into the allotted space. Harriet was the daughter of Daniel M. and Hannah (Parker) Spofford of Rowley, Massachusetts, a small town in Essex County. She married John R. Pearl and they resided in Bangor Maine where she had six children and died in 1887. Her sampler was worked in silk onto extremely sheer linen and is in good condition with some slight breaks to the fibers, in a molded maple frame. Sampler size: 5Yz"
X
6".
Price: $950.
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23 Miniature ThreeTowered Structure, H.M., circa 1815 Our miniature pictorial sampler, most probably American, depicts a classic three-towered castle structure often found on samplers of Pennsylvania German origin. The initials on the sampler, H.M., which flank the structure are no doubt those of the samplermaker; the sampler descended along with another piece made by a Maria Mechlin. The combination of dogs, birds and hearts is quite pleasing but the colorful architecture atop its stepped lawn is clearly the main attraction. Silk on linen, excellent condition, conservation mounted into a cherry frame. Sampler size: 8" square. Price: $1,450.
Rebecca Elizabeth Gel wick, 1837 This classic and endearing band sampler was worked in a marking format with a charming scene below, featuring a two-chimney brick house, picket fence and curlytailed dog. It was worked by Rebecca Elizabeth Gel wick and is dated 1837, most likely from the mid-Atlantic region. The sampler is worked in linen and silk on linen, is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a later incised cherry frame. Sampler size: 17!1.''x 7Y.". Price: $1,900.
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24 Ellen Kelly, circa 1800 This delicate and finely wrought friendship sampler was made in the British Isles by Ellen Kelly, circa 1800, and is simply inscribed "to A Friend". The array of many miniaturized motifs is quite appealing; they are totally symmetrical, in a fashion that well represents much of the work from the British Isles. Ellen Kelly surrounded her work with a deep teal blue silk ribbon and five pale blue bow knots. It is in excellent condition, worked in silk on linen and has been conservation mounted into a 19th century birds-eye maple frame with a gilt liner. Sampler size:
lOW'
X 8~".
Price: $1,350.
Elizabeth Sellars, 1845 This sparkling Pennsylvania German sampler was worked by Elizabeth Sellars in 1845; she listed the names of ten family members and that information leads us to believe that she was the daughter of Samuel Sellars, a wheelwright from Franklin County, in southern Pennsylvania. Elizabeth carefully worked her large crossstitched alphabet at the top with two lovely carnation sprays, some geometric motifs, a flower pot and her initials fully worked at the base. The border is unusual, with stylized carnations along the sides. This sampler is in excellent condition, of silk on linen, and has been conservation mounted into a cherry comer block frame. Sampler size: 15~" X 17!1.". Price: $1,750.
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25 Hannah Ann Tindall, Trenton, N.J., 1839 We are always grateful to the clever young samplermakers who included the name of their town on their samplers! Hannah Ann Tindall was born in 1831 in New Jersey and appears in the 1850 census in Trenton living with her mother, Thadoria Tindall, who was also a native of New Jersey. The design of this lovely sampler clearly shows the Quaker influence of her teacher: the rose spray, paired doves, and the two-handled urns with pendulous acorns that have been found on important New Jersey Quaker samplers. Young Hannah's work also displays the "tails", the silk floss which connects one area of work to another on the back of a sampler, and which may be visible from the front of a sampler worked on a relatively sheer ground. They can be seen on needlework that was accomplished under the instruction of an exacting teacher. The sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a cherry and maple comer block frame. Sampler size: 17W' X 12". Price: $4,500.
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26 Metallic Marking Sampler, 1828 This diminutive English sampler is highly unusual in that the silk was worked onto a background of metallic wrapped linen. The effect is quite burnished, and very lovely. This anonymous needleworker seems to have enjoyed spelling out the fact that she completed her project on New Years Day, 1828. She was obviously a flawless needleworker, accomplished even when working in this miniaturized scale. The sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a Dutch style frame. Sampler size: 4W'x4". Price: $1,400.
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27 Abigail Bartlett, circa 1810, Newburyport, Mass. This quintessential Federal silk embroidery is positively a gem. The young needleworker included many of the easily recognized design hallmarks of the most stylish group of silk embroideries to have emerged from the Newburyport area: the star-fish shaped shrubbery, the willows with diamond-shaped leaves and the french knotted trees (see Girlhood Embroidery, Betty Ring, beginning on page 115, Vol.I). It is most likely that this Bartlett piece was worked at the Byfield Seminary under the instruction of Rebecca Hassel tine Emerson, and falls squarely into the early period (18071812) of the silk embroideries from this school. The finely drawn inscription reads "In Memory of Saml. Bartlet Ob lOth Sept 1810 ae 32". Captain Samuel Bartlett of Newbury, Massachusetts, the son of Josiah Barlett, Sr. and Prudence Ordway, was born September 15, 1778. The specific Abigail, who would have been born circa 1799, is difficult to identify, but she obviously was a family member. Worked in silk on silk, this piece is in excellent condition and is in its original frame with a 19th century reverse painted glass mat. Size of the oval: 8~"x7".
Price: $2,400.
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SELECTED NEEDLEWORK BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, Gloria Seaman. Family Record Genealogical Watercolors and Needlework. Washington, DC: DAR Museum, 1989. Benes, Peter. Old-Town and The Waterside. The Historical Society of Old Newbury, Newburyport, 1986. Bolton, Ethel Stanwood, and Coe, Eva Johnston. American Samplers. Boston: The Massachusetts Society of the Colonial Dames of America, 1921. Edmonds, Mary Jaene. Samplers and Samplermakers, An American Schoolgirl Art 1700-1850. New York: Rizzoli, 1991. Epstein, Kathy. An Anonymous Woman Her Work Wrought In The 17th Century. Curious Works Press, 1992 Hersh, Tandy and Charles. Samplers of the Pennsylvania Germans. Birdsboro, Pa: Pennsylvania German Society, 1991. 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, Mass.: Old Sturbridge Village, 1978. 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. Schiffer, Margaret B. Arts and Crafts of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Exton, Pa., 1980 Historical Needlework of Pennsylvania. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1968. Schorsch, Anita. Mourning Becomes America: Mourning Art in the New Nation. Clinton, New Jersey: The Main Street Press, 1976. Studebaker, Sue. Ohio Samplers, School Girl Embroideries 1803-1850. Warren County Historical Society, 1988. Swan, Susan B. A Winterthur Guide to American Needlework. New York: Crown Publishers, 1976. Plain and Fancy: American Women and Their Needlework, 1700-1850. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1977.
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ANTIQUE TEXTILE RESTORATION SERVICE Our Textile Restoration Department is well qualified to handle your needs for proper conservation and restoration of your valuable antique textiles. We use only the best archival and acid-free materials, and employ museum-approved techniques. Our goal is to safely conserve your antique pieces, keeping in mind the needs of both the collector and the collection. SAMPLERS AND NEEDLEWORK
In the past five years we have handled approximately 600 samplers and silk embroideries in our restoration department. Below is a description of the step-by-step process that we employ in our "Conservation mounting": 0 Carefully clean the piece using our special vacuum process. 0 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. 0 Refit 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. 0
Supply a reverse painted black glass mat, if appropriate, done in the correct antique manner.
0 When necessary, we can install True VueÂŽ Conservation Clear glass which blocks 97% of the harmful Ultra-violet light. 0 In the framing process, the needlework is properly spaced away from the glass, the wooden frame is sealed, and the dust cover is attached with special archival tape. QUILTS, COVERLETS, HOOKED RUGS AND TABLE RUGS
While we do not provide cleaning services for these large textiles, we are expert in the area of mounting for hanging, and if need be, preparation for framing. This may be as simple as applying velcro and supplying hanging strips, or it may necessitate an appropriate stretcher arrangement. Minor repairs can skillfully be made using our supply of period fabrics. Hooked rugs which can no longer withstand abuse underfoot can be successfully mounted as wall hangings. We are adept at minor repairs to hooked and talde rugs, including backing and binding when necessary.
All repair and refuting is done by trained experts, and each job receives prompt attention and our personal supervision. Work is accepted from collectors as well as from dealers and institutions, and items may be brought in or shipped to us. Upon receipt, we will examine your items and phone you to discuss your needs, make our recommendations, and give you an estimate of the cost. We make every effort to complete jobs entrusted to us in a timely fashion, and we know you will be pleased with the quality of our work. References from our clients can be furnished upon request.
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