Samplings: X by M. Finkel & Daughter

VOLUME X

S.A~PLI~G-S: A selected offering of antique samplers and needlework

M. Finkel eg Daughter. established 1947 ANTIQUE TEXTILES AND PERIOD FURNITURE 936 Pine Street, Philadelphia , Pennsylvania 19107 215-627-7797

fax 215-627-8199

Cover Illustration: Detail of Elizabeth T. Long, page 1

Copyright ÂŠ 1996 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. Âˇ

Samplings ... volume X

The president of the Museum of American Folk Art in New York, when discussing antique samplers, was quoted as follows in a recent article in Art & Auction magazine (December 1995): ''very desirable material remains out there, just waiting to be collected." We support this observation and continue to be surprised at the availability of extremely appealing samplers and needlework from the 18th and 19th centuries. As is clear from this catalogue, we are very interested and knowledgeable in this field. Most of these pieces are American and, in keeping with the field in general, were worked by schoolgirls under the guidance of schoolmistresses. We search for examples that represent excellence in needlework and are in fine condition. Because of the importance of provenance and documentation, we tum to our everincreasing sources to conduct research. From a simple marking sampler to a rare and important needlework picture, each offering is a reflection of our knowledge and dedication. 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 difficult to procure, let us know and perhaps we can assist in locating them. Our firm was established in 1947, and we have been in the same location for 48 years. We like to think that 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 are at the shop five days a week, except when we are exhibiting at an out-of-town antiques show. Please let us 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 done according to description of the process at the backof this catalogue. 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. 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 6% sales tax. All items are sold with a five day return privilege. Expert packing is included; shipping and insurance costs are extra. We prefer to ship via UPS second day air or Federal Express, insured. Amy Finkel Morris Finkel

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.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF CONTENTS Elizabeth K. Acuff, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 1836 ................................. page

Martha W. Adams, Danvers, Massachusetts, circa 1806 ..................... .".................... page

Mary Ann Anderson, Lititz Moravian Girls' School, Pennsylvania, 1823 ..................... pages

16-17

Elizabeth Beechum, Horncastle, England, circa 1820 .......................................... page

Miriam Betton, Philadelphia, circa 1810 ......................................................... page

Maria Biglow, Weston, Massachusetts, 1805 ...................................................... page

Miniature English Canvaswork, circa 1740 ...................................................... page

Philadephia "Castle" Sampler, circa 1820 ......................................................... page

Martha Ann Chesnut, Philadelphia, circa 1810 ................................................... page

Maria Cloud, Pennsylvania, 1823 .................................................................. page

Miniature Darning Sampler, England, 1796 ...................................................... page

Susanna Emerson, Miss Parker's School, Haverhill, Massachusetts, 1797 .................. pages

4-5

Catharine H. Hagy, Merion Square Seminary, Merion, Pennsylvania, circa 1832 ......... page

Mariah Hervey, Massachusetts, 1830 ............................................................... page

Rebecca Justice, Philadelphia, c. 1829 ............................................................ pages

18-19

Lydia Kimball, Nazareth, Pennsylvania, 1827 ................................................... page

Ann Maria Lewers, British Isles, 1825 ............................................................ page

Betsey Lock, Lexington, Massachusetts, 1796 ................................................... page

Elizabeth T. Long, Chester County, Pennsylvania, circa 1825 ................................. page

Marking Sampler, New England, circa 1820 ...................................................... page

Sophia E. Sanborn, Exeter, New Hampshire, 1837 ............................................. page

Margaret Ann Shinn, Pennsylvania, 1840 ......................................................... page

Sally R. Shed, Brighton, Massachusetts, 1827 ................................................... page

Mary Smith, England, 1804 ........................................................................ page

Elizabeth Stauffer, Pennsylvania, 1843 ............................................................ page

Elizabeth Summers, Mid-Atlantic states, circa 1835 ............................................. page

Caroline Cornelia Taylor, presented to her Mother, American, 1835 ........................... page

Elizabeth Tice, England, 1810 ..................................................................... page

Ernaline Valentine, Coatesville, Pennsylvania, 1833 ............................................. page

Rebecca Vickers, England, 1845 ..................................................................... page

Mary Young, Cape May County, N.J., circa 1812 ................................................ page

M.Finkel e::J Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Elizabeth T. Long, Chester County, Pennsylvania, circa 1830 This is one of the most exceptional samplers that we have ever owned; its strong visual appeal is derived from the handsome overall design coupled with the outstanding skill with which it was executed. The tightly worked house, with every brick outlined in white tent stitch, has vines growing up its sides as it sits upon a glowing green lawn horizontally worked in the satin stitch. The hearts were worked in the queenstitch and the pairs of birds in the tent stitch. The extraordinary tulips growing up from the fence were heavily whip-stitched and practically leap off the linen. Few samplermakers would have had the talent and discipline required for this remarkable piece. Elizabeth Templeton Long was born circa 1817 to John and Mary (Haines) Long of Honeybrook, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The initials of her parents "JL" and "ML" were worked onto the sampler and precede the initials of other Long family members. The Longs had roots that tapped deeply into the area and the sampler remained in Chester County for over 160 years. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, with minor loss to the linen, conservation mounted into a mahogany and maple corner block frame. Sampler size: 21" x 21 W' Price: $19,000.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel e:J Daughter.

Maria Biglow, Weston, Massachusetts, 1805 There is an extremely pleasing visual quality to this sampler which stems from the handsome overall proportion and the unusually bold border made up of bunches of grapes clinging to a tendrilled leafy vine. The undulating grapevine is contained between sawtooth borders adding to the strength of design. The sampler was worked by Maria Biglow of the town of Weston, Middlesex County Uust west of Boston) in 1805 when she was ten years of age. The family descended from John Biglow who settled in Watertown, Massachusetts prior to 1642. Maria's father, Deacon Thomas Biglow was the deacon of the church in Weston for many years; her mother was Miriam Hager. Maria was born March 8, 1795, married Amos Hager, also of Weston on April 3, 1817 and died in 1879. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a 19th century molded frame with a crackle finish. Sampler size: 15lfz'' x 12" Price: $3850.

M.Finkel (:)Daughter.Âˇ

AMERICA ' S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Maria Cloud, Delaware or Pennsylvania, 1823 ~ I

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It is a pleasure to offer this wonderfully appealing sampler; the crisp combination of lawn and house scene, floating bird, Quaker flower and basket motifs and letter-perfect verse render it quite desirable. Much of the work is unusually intricate and, in a few cases, the samplermaker used stitches that are considered quite difficult, such as the whip and chain stitched birds. The lawn is closely worked in the tent stitch, and the cross stitch used for the house and baskets of fruit unusually tightly worked.

Our research to identify the samplermaker, Maria Cloud, reveals that members of the Cloud family came to America with William Penn, and descendants remained in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware; the family remained predominantly Quaker. The only Maria Cloud who would have been the appropriate age to have worked a sampler in 1823 was the daughter of William and Ann (Davis) Cloud of Delaware and Pennsylvania. They were married in Wilmington on November 2, 1796 and Maria was born on January 31, 1805. She died unmarried in May, 1867 and is buried in the graveyard of the Chichester Friends Meetinghouse, near Naaman's Corner, New Castle County, Delaware. The sampler was worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a molded cherry frame. Sampler size: 19 114'' x 20W' Price: $9200.

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M.Finkel

es Daughter.

Martha W. Adams, Danvers, Massachusetts, circa 1806 Samplers worked on green Iinsey-woolsey have long been sought after and we offer a delightful example worked by Martha Webb Adams of the town of Danvers, Massachusetts (just north of Salem). Martha, born April 5, 1796 and aged ten when she worked this sampler, was the oldest of the six children of Joseph and Mary (Webb) Adams. Family genealogical volumes suggest, but do not confirm, that Martha's immigrant ancestor, Robert Adams, was a cousin of Henry Adams, the ancestor of presidents John and John Quincy Adams. Martha married Allen Newhall of Higham, Massachusetts and they were the parents of ' ··abc def '1<scuv six children; she N•>V. l<al'"f''ill~ •. <tn•d g\Jides =. _v_·>Jn . Ishe3.rl Ar-t9 ,_. Wr~- u-~ht o·.y !=Ot. .-·em-pty as !t rn~nds th~ f1fe.$.nd the . . 11!-<>tha. '.~_!. Adam." A~•d 10.(_, died in 1878 at age 82. !!\• ""r-.., -lk- "";.•"'">. ~·('; 4,1 -~,.#,1 ~ .:?~ ., "'Yf. '*" --.....!" ,.... ' · :!!y r/}_.v ..._;;-.. .__..- ··¥ _ · ..-,-1\1· 0~~~· .;-._~'~('~!+ -C·i'·t;;.··..t_!;:.-~-* <t_!:./ The two line verse which appears on this sampler, "How empty teaming and how vain is art. But as it mends the life and guides the heart" is especially charming. The ten-year-old needleworker demonstrated her proficiency when she completed two motifs in the queens stitch, a particularly difficult stitch. Silk and crewel wool on Iinsey-woolsey, in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a 19th century veneered frame.

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Sampler size: 6W' x 16" Price: $1450.

Susanna Emerson, Miss Parker's School, Haverhill, Massachusetts, 1797 Our outstanding and important sampler, worked by Susanna Emerson in 1797, is a newly found example from the well-documented group of samplers worked in the town of Haverhill, Essex County, Massachusetts under an obviously talented and demanding teacher, Miss Parker, and discussed by Betty Ring in Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. I, pages 124 through 129. Our Emerson sampler is the earliest one known from this school and combines all of the desirable elements that have been found these

(detail)

M.Finkel es Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Susanna Emerson, Miss Parker's School, Haverhill, Massachusetts, 1797 (continued) pieces: the deep lawn richly embellished with people, animals and flowers, the inscription which includes the distinctive phrasing "HAVERHILL COUNTY ESSEX", the distinctive geometric inner borders and the "wide leafy outer borders found on the best examples" according to Mrs. Ring. This intricate outer border combines different stitches and techniques, using crinkled silk with spectacular results. Susanna's sampler is the only known example from this school to feature a lawn richly embellished with people, animals and flowers, and is without a doubt one of the most remarkable from this delightful school. Susanna's younger sister, Ruth Emerson worked a sampler in 1803 at Miss Parker's school, which is mentioned in Girlhood Embroidery. Mrs. Ring has informed us that Susanna and Ruth Emerson both went on to attend the prestigious, nearby Bradford Academy, along with many other graduates of Miss Parker's school. Susanna signed her sampler "Susanna Emerson wrought this in the 12th year of her age 1797" and our research regarding Miss Emerson was quite rewarding. Susanna's immigrant ancestor, Michael Emerson landed in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1651, by 1655 had received land in Haverhill and by 1659 was elected town constable. His daughter, Hannah Emerson Dustin, was memorialized as a "colonial heroine" in Notable American Women 1650-1950 (Harvard University Press, 1971) because of a harrowing kidnapping by Indians in 1697 after which she escaped, rescuing a young English boy. A statue of Hannah, with hatchet in hand, was erected in Haverhill in the late 19th century. Our samplermaker, Susanna, was born May 1, 1786 to Captain Nehemiah and Mary (Whittier) Emerson. Captain Emerson was a Revolutionary War captain who served in the battles of Bunker Hill, Valley Forge and Burgoyne's Surrender and was remembered years later by President Washington in his memoirs. Susanna died, unmarried, December 9, 1866 and her sampler descended in the family. The sampler was worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a black painted frame. Sampler size: 20" x 15'12'' Price: $16,500.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel es Daughter.

Martha Ann Chesnut, Philadelphia, circa 1810 We are quite taken with this charming little sampler, painstakingly worked by Martha Ann Chesnut in, or quite close to Philadelphia, in the early years of the 19th century. She demonstrated quite a few different stitches including Irish, cross, eyelet and queens stitch; the fat strawberries were flawlessly rendered in the queenstitch, while the roses, carnations and bird were tightly worked in the cross stitch. The family name, Chesnut, appears repeatedly in early Philadelphia census indexes and our research to identify Martha Ann Chesnut continues. Interestingly, one of Philadelphia's original east/west streets, Chestnut Street, was for many years in the 18th and early 19th centuries spelled without the "t" in the middle, the same as the family name of the samplermaker. Worked in linen and silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, with a few areas of weakness to the background linen, conservation mounted into a cherry frame with an ebonized bead. Sampler size: 12" x 121f2'' Price: $1750.

Sophia E. Sanborn, Exeter, New Hampshire, 1837 The town of Exeter is beautifully situated on the Exeter River in southern New Hampshire; it was a town well known in the 19th century for its educational institutions, such as Phillips Exeter Academy and the Robinson Female Academy. This handsome schoolgirl sampler was worked in the town In 1837 by Sophia E. Sanborn, the oldest of the seven children of Thomas and Abigail (Marston) Sanborn. She was born June 28, 1826 and later married Joseph B. Silver. Her sampler, worked in her eleventh year, exhibits a shimmering sawtooth border meticulously worked in the satin stitch with a similarly worked band of eyelet stitch in a diamond format. Three stylized cross stitch baskets decorate the bottom of the sampler. It was worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a 19th century frame. Sampler size: 12" x 11lfz'' Price: $2200.

M.Finkel es Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Elizabeth K. Acuff, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 1836 This praiseworthy Pennsylvania sampler sports baskets, butterflies and bunches of flowers, but it is the house and surrounding lawn nestled amongst the trees that draws our attention. The lawn is also the setting for two sheep as it flows across the linen, ultimately providing the base from which the undulating borders arise. The double chimney Federal house is shown in threequarter view with teal blue windows, door and fan-light and was worked in an unusual vertical whip stitch. Elizabeth K. Acuff was the daughter of Joseph and Ann (Sheetz) Acuff, born June 12, 1823. The family lived in Montgomery County, just north of Philadelphia, and much of the information regarding the family was provided by The Historical Society of Montgomery County. Elizabeth married William Stallman of Chestnut Hill on March 27, 1845 at St. Thomas Church in Whitemarsh; she died just before her 25th birthday, shortly after giving birth to a son, Joseph Acuff Stallman. Her sampler lists the initials of eleven family members, all of whom can be identified through family papers. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition with some slight loss, conservation mounted into a maple frame. Sampler size: 22" X 23 1/z" Price: $6800. (detail)

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M.Finkel (S Daughter.

Genealogical Needlework Genealogical needlework samplers often bear the title "Family Record" and very occasionally are entitled "Genealogy"; they are prized for their form as well as their content. These samplers are decorations as well as documents. The first third of the 19th century saw a flowering of this style of sampler, fully discussed in the book Family Record, published by the DAR. in conjunction with a definite exhibition at their Washington D.C. museum in 1989. According to Family Record, "Genealogical needlework may be an American invention ... and the majority of examples were made in Massachusetts between 1810 and 1830." We are pleased to offer two fine examples of Massachusetts genealogical needlework.

Mariah Hervey, Massachusetts, 1830 This Hervey Family Record maps out five different Massachusetts towns as it documents the births of Mariah's parents, their marriage and the births of their children. Interestingly the geographic swing is quite wide: Spaulding Hervey was born in Hopkington, which is south of Boston in Middlesex County, and nearby Oxbridge, the birthplace of his wife-to-be, Waity Farnum. They married in Cheshire and their twins, Mariah and Mary, were born in Adams - both towns are in the far northwest corner of the state. Nine years later, in 1829, Mariah's brother was born in Mendon, a town within a few miles of Waity Farnum Hervey's birthplace. The family must have relocated back to this area and were still living in Mendon in 1830 when they were recorded in the census index. Mariah's family record, worked at age 10, exhibits wonderfully designed borders which seem to provide a rhythm to the entire sampler. The inner borders, heavily worked in the herringbone stitch, set off the text of the sampler while demonstrating young Mariah's needlework skills. Worked in silk on linen, and in excellent condition, the sampler has been conservation mounted into a beveled cherry frame with a maple bead. Sampler size: 163/4'' X 15 1/z" Price: $3800.

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Sally R. Shed, Brighton, Massachusetts, 1827 This wonderfully lustrous sampler has a more painterly quality than one typically finds in needlework. Sally Rhodes Shed completed this fine example on September 8th, 1827 in Brighton, a town which became annexed to Boston in 1874. She was the second of twelve children born to Captain Thomas and Abigail (Greenleaf) Shed and worked this sampler when she was 15 years old. Sally married Samuel Ward, a provisions dealer, on April10, 1830 and they were the parents of eleven children, living in Newtown and then Cambridge; she died November 5, 1893. Similar garlands of meticulously worked satin-stitched flowers are found on samplers and silk embroideries worked in Connecticut and Massachusetts under the auspices of sophisticated teachers, and the garlands on this Shed sampler compare favorably to published examples. While it is probably the original intent that later dates be added to this sampler, it may have been framed shortly after the samplermaker brought it home from school, hence later information was not worked onto it. Silk on linen, excellent condition, conservation mounted into a gold frame. Sampler size: 21lf2'' x 17" Price: $4800.

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M. Finkel(:) Daughter.

Ann Maria Lewers, British Isles, 1825 The theme of the verse and the pictorial scene of this charming sampler clearly revolve around watchful shepherds and verdant "lanskips". The shepherd on the top of the hill guards his flock of sheep, and is balanced by the towering lady in early 18th century costume. The stylized strawberry border was worked in crewel wool and frames the sampler beautifully. It is the coloration of the border that suggests Scotland as the country of origin of this piece. Silk and crewel wool on linen, in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a 19th century frame. Sampler size: 17'' x 1PI4'' Price: $2200.

Mary Smith, England, 1804 "Oh child most dear incline my' ear and harken to gods voice His counce!! [sic] take for that does make his saints for to rejoice." The verse on Mary Smithfs endearing sampler was worked, along with many delightful and colorful insects and small animals, onto an impossibly fine linen gauze. The samplermaker noted that she "ended this September 20, 1804"; the use of the word "ended" as part of an inscription is most typically found on samplers of English origin. Worked in silk on linen, is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a black painted frame. Sampler size: 15lfz'' x 12lfz'' Price: $2650.

M.Finkel

es Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

11 Catharine H. Hagy, Merion Square Seminary, Merion, Pennsylvania, circa 1832 The Hagy family of Merion, Pennsylvania was prominently involved in the early years of the paper-making industry along the Schuylkill River, and the family name is memorialized in Hagy's Ford Road, an important thoroughfare today in Lower Merion Township. Jacob Hagy (1780-1841) was a third generation paper-mill owner; he married Hannah Levis Robeson and they were the parents of ten children, including Catharine and her twin sister Hannah, born July 19, 1820. Catharine married James Coope on June 30, 1846 at the Lower Merion Baptist Church, and they resided in Philadephia, where they had three daughters; she died May 30, 1874. Catharine signed this impressive sampler "Miss Catharine H. Hagy's work completed in her 12th year" inside the large center cartouche. She indicated at the bottom of the sampler that she attended the Merion Square Seminary and she credited her preceptress, Miss Ann B. Dean. Merion Square was a small town located at the center of Lower Merion Township which, according to the History of Montgomery County (1884) included "thirtyfive houses, two stores, two churches, a school-house ... and 207 inhabitants." The initials of her parents, Jacob and Hannah, are enclosed in small cartouches. Her needlework was carefully designed and perfectly executed; the lovely bell-flower border is unusually handsome and the fat lettuce-munching rabbit was worked in extremely fine cross-stitch. Other motifs, the birds, butterflies, squirrel and flowers, were equally well wrought. Clearly the Merion Square Seminary was a school that upheld the high standards of fine samplermaking well known in the Philadelphia area. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a striped maple frame with an ebonized bead. Sampler size: 23" x 21 '12'' Price: $7500.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel

es Daughter.

12 Rebecca Vickers, England, 1845

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Our worked delightful English sampler was by little Rebecca Vickers at age 11 in 1845. Using colorful crewel wool, the needleworker created a charming scene topped by two low baskets of fruit and a blue bird. Worked in wool on linen, it is in excellent condition with a bit of loss to the wool, conservation mounted into a gold frame. Sampler size: 11" x 10" Price: $825.

Elizabeth Stauffer, Pennsylvania, 1843 Elizabeth Stauffer's spirited sampler exhibits strong influence from her Pennsylvania German culture, most notably the mirrorimage motifs and the "in-line" inscription of her name and date. The geometric stars, decorated birds, vases with pendulous tulips and overall coloration are also characteristics of Pennsylvania German samplermaking. The origin of this sampler can be confidently attributed to southeastern Pennsylvania, probably Lancaster or Berks County, but because of the preponderance of families with this surname, research has not produced definitive results. The sampler was worked in wool, silk and linen on linen and is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a molded cherry frame with an ebonized bead. Sampler size: 17" x 17" Price: $2450.

M. Finkel (S Daughter.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Margaret Ann Shinn, Pennsylvania, 1840 In 1840, Margaret Ann Shinn worked this exceedingly stylish sampler which features an extended house within a well-balanced border of oversized roses. The verse that the sample maker chose, entitled "The Falls of Niagara" is one that we have not encountered previously: "Beyond the deep atlantic waves Those fair but faded flowers Grew where dread Niagara falls and raves and sips the purl of Mourning dews the parent root That gave them birth still Beautify the distant earth" The house is set on a tightly worked pale green lawn with spotted dogs and other animals and birds scattered around. The outer border, a polychromed sawtooth, contains the exuberance of the sampler well. Margaret Ann Shinn was born in 1826 and was recorded in the 1850 census living with her mother, Sarah Shinn in Manayunk, an area in northwestern Philadelphia. Many branches of Shinn family were Quakers and the sampler shows strong influences of Quaker needlework patterns. Worked in wood and silk on linen, it is in excellent condition with a tiny bit of loss, conservation mounted into a painted frame. Sampler size: 17" x 16 W' Price: $4200.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel

es Daughter.

Ernaline Valentine, Coatesville, Pennsylvania, 1833 We are quite proud of this impressive and important Chester County sampler. The bounteous vase of flowers, a subject of many early 19th century American paintings, prints and theorem, was rarely used as the central motif in schoolgirl needlework. We find that fourteen-year-old Ernaline Valentine, under the tutelage of an obviously talented instructress, took this subject matter to a new level. This highstyled composition was set upon a decidedly lawn-like platform with a smaller flower-filled basket and bouquet in the foreground. The border appears unremarkable until the lone bird in the lower right corner is noticed, a charming and highly individual note. Research reveals that Ernaline Valentine was born December 11, 1819 to Thomas S. and Abigail Valentine of Coatesville. She married Dr. John Gilbert Coates (a descendant of Moses Coates who settled in Pennsylvania in 1717 and founded the town of Coatesville) and they had five children. The sampler was worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a beveled cherry frame with a maple bead. Sampler size: 20" x 21 W' Price: $7800.

M.Finkel es Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

15 Betsey Lock, Lexington, Massachusetts, 1796 We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to offer this praiseworthy 18th century sampler, which can be confidently attributed to a desirable group of samplers from the Federal period in the Boston area. These examples were worked by girls who lived in Lexington, Concord, Cambridge and other nearby towns between 1790 and 1805, according to Betty Ring in Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. I, pages 76 to 78. Precisely the same wide top and side borders, inner sawtooth borders, sawtooth flowerpot, birds and ladies in early costume appear in many of these samplers (specifically one should refer to Ring, figure 76 and Krueger, New England Samplers to 1840, figure 18). Our samplermaker included more tightly-worked depictions of these ladies than any other known samplermaker from this group; she also seems to have designated specific identities for her five needleworked ladies - each one is flanked by a set of initials. Betsey Lock worked this sampler when she was 11 years old in 1796. She was from a prominent Middlesex County family; William Lock (1628-1720) came to America in 1634 and became deacon and landowner in the town of Woburn. His great granddaughter, Betsey Lock, was born in the nearby town of Lexington on February 10, 1784, the eldest of the eight children of Benjamin and Betsy (Wyman) Locke. Betsey married Timothy Tileston, Jr., a toolwright, on May 13, 1805 and they became the parents of 11 children. She died October 11, 1854. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a molded and painted frame. Sampler size: 20" x 17" Price: $7800.

(detail)

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel

es Daughter.

16 Mary Ann Anderson, Lititz Moravian Girls' School, Pennsylvania, 1823 An important early institution of American education, the Moravian school of Lititz, Lancaster County,

Pennsylvania, opened its doors in 1748. Their decision, in 1794, to open enrollment to non-Moravians, coupled with the fact that boarders were accepted, allowed the school to become one of the very first institutions to offer a "broad academic program to young women of any religious persuasion", according to Patricia T. Herr in The Ornamental Branches: Needlework and Arts from the Lititz Moravian Girls' SchoollS00-1865, a fine new addition to our library. This book accompanies an important exhibition by the same title at the Heritage Center Museum in Lancaster, Pennsylvania which continues through the end of December, 1996

By the early 19th century, relatively large numbers of young ladies from many different areas were sent to the school to take advantage of the excellent education and various "ornamental branches" that were offered: drawing and painting, music and, of course, fine needlework. High style silk embroidered pictures were clearly a specialty of the school and "mourning was the most popular theme used in Lititz silk embroidery from 1815 until the demise of the technique in Lititz in the 1830's."

M. Finkel eg Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Mary Ann Anderson, Lititz Moravian Girls' School, Pennsylvania, 1823 (continued) Mary Ann Anderson is listed in Ms. Herr's roster of students (1794-1840) as a boarder who entered the school at age 15 in 1822, the ward of Alexander Purvis of Philadelphia. Her mourning piece was worked the following year in memory of her mother, Mary Anderson and the small tombstone on the bottom ground is signed, "Erected by Mary Ann Anderson Litiz AD 1823". It is a wonderful example of Lititz work. The trio of floating cherubs, substantial monument and graceful figures with prominent heads advise us that Peter Lehn Grosh was responsible for the painting of this piece. He was a professional painter of Moravian ancestry, who was employed by the school from 1819 to 1829 to paint onto the young ladies' silk embroidered pictures. Many examples in Ornamental Branches display the hand of Peter Grosh combined with Lititz school needlework, however none of the illustrasted pieces contain figures as light-hearted as the young lady tending to her oversized rose bush or the handsome waltzing couple to the right. It was worked in silk, chenille, and paint onto silk with

metallic spangles used to decorate the chenille-worked circular border, and it is in excellent condition. Size of the needlework: 18" diameter ' Price: $11,500.

(details)

Miniature English Canvaswork, circa 1740 This very lovely and finely-wrought little needlework picture is an excellent example of the best of the English needle arts of the 2nd quarter of the 18th century. An unusual stitch group was presented: cross, tent, queens and diamond-grid satin stitch were each used to their best advantage. The richly colored basket of flowers demonstrates the needleworker's proficiency with the tent stitch and the border indicates the same qualities in the diamond grid satin stitch. The multicolored diamond shaped decorations to the crown are an expanded version of the queens stitch. This needlework picture was worked in silk on linen canvas and is in very good condition with some loss to the edges, conservation mounted into a 19th century gold leaf frame. Size of the needlework: 6" square Price: $1400.

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M.Finkel (;)Daughter.

Caroline Cornelia Taylor, presented to her Mother, American, 1835 Rarely do we find a sampler which designates so precisely for whom it was worked. Caroline Cornelia Taylor, working in either New England or New York State, made her "sample" and inscribed it "to her Mother as a testimony of her regard. August 8th, 1835." The small, tightlyworked lettering practically floats on the closely woven linen along with the small scene along the bottom and the sprigs of flowers throughout. The sampler was worked in silk on linen, is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a 19th century molded frame with a crackle finish. Sampler size: 11" x 14'12" Price: $1650.

Rebecca Justice, Philadelphia, circa 1829 It is a privilege to offer this spectacular sampler, a graceful composition worked in honor of President Andrew Jackson, depicting The Hermitage, his home in Tennessee, and honoring him in verse as well. :;r An 1829 Philadelphia '~ publication, The Jackson Wreath, included an engraving entitled The Hermitage, which served as the print source for this needlework scene; the house, fences, trees and horses on the engraving were faithfully reproduced onto the sampler.

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Rebecca Justice, Philadelphia, circa 1829 (continued) This was the work of a highly skilled samplermaker, a Philadelphia girl who inscribed her work "Rebecca Justice Aged 11 years" at the end of the verse. She was obviously working under the instruction of a very knowledgeable teacher, as she included flawless renderings of challenging techniques on her needlework, including the tent stitch, satin stitch with overlays, French knots and the painted velvet horses set underneath the needleworked lawn. A strikingly similar sampler by Mary V. Wilson is illustrated in The Magazine Antiques, April, 1975 in an article entitled American Samplers and Needlework Pictures in the Collection of the D.A.R. Museum. Mary V. Wilson's sampler, a generic memorial dated 1828, shares many of the design elements and exact applications, but our Rebecca Justice sampler provides additional interest because of its patriotic theme. Rebecca Justice was hom December 11, 1818 to John Morton Justice and Elizabeth Worrell of Philadelphia. Her great-grandfather, John Morton, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and it was he who gave the deciding vote in the Pennsylvania Delegation, thus insuring the majority for the Declaration. The family had lived in Philadelphia since 1642, when their ancestors sailed from Sweden and arrived on the banks of the Delaware River, joining a group of Swedish settlers. The sampler remains in it original frame, a gold leaf frame with comer carvings which was made by Spencer Nolan, a well-known Philadelphia framemaker who worked at "78 Chesnut Street Phila" from 1816 to 1849. The original backboard of the sampler retains his label. Mr. and Mrs. Justice obviously chose a stylish and expensive frame for their daughter's splendid accomplishment. Worked in silk on linen, with painted velvet appliques; it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into its original frame. Sampler size: 26" x 21" Price: $18,500.

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M.Finkei(S Daughter.

Philadephia 'Castle" Sampler, circa 1820 There is a well-documented and fascinating group of samplers worked in Philadelphia between 1796 and 1830, which present an unusual "castle-like" building with a checkerboard base on a stepped-terrace lawn. Betty Ring, in Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. II, discussed this group in her section entitled . Philadelphia in the Federal Period and the sampler that we offer is most similar to figure 393, an example which is in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The small size and scale of our sampler makes it an unusual example of its type. Many of the pieces loom rather large and not all of them include people. The tiny couple, worked in the tent stitch, shares the lawn with two dogs and a rabbit, animals which appear in the exact same formation on other samplers from this group. It is likely that the anonymous maker intended to complete further work on this piece. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a 19th century gold leaf frame. Sampler size: 12W' x 123/4'' Price: $2800.

M.Finkel (S Daughter.

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Elizabeth Tice, England, 1810

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01 't'le Works Of fie Creation.

BE.AU'rY complete. and maJestY divtne.a...:a.·a a<C:ta In all thy wo ks. adored Crear.o . shine, a-~ a.a-W:h.ere·-e.t {cast my wond':tin~ eyes around:. a--~'"'

1\e G-od I seek in ev·ry pa.n JS found.ac:-~a a~ htrsurng the~ the flow't · fields l tra~a.-a.-·a a--:c~ And te3.d tli,. narne on·-ev·x-y spire of grass.~ l follow thee thrO' ma n.;r- a lone\y shade. a-a~ And find the~ in the solitary glade.a.e-·ata a--a--a.-~1 m~t thee in the kind refreshing

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'ft.at g·ently passes thro' t.f.e dewy vale. a~ a--'rh-e pink; the jasmine, and th-e pu:rple

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The subject matter of this charming sampler, a lady fishing in a pastoral setting, was well-known to English needleworkers from the first quarter of the 18th century forth. The fishing lady, as she came to be known, became something of an icon of 18th century English and American needlework. Our sampler from the early 19th century finds the same subject seated upon a garden bench enclosed in a lush arbor surrounded by fanciful insects, animals and trees (note the bird in its birdcage) and a field officers' tent. The lawn encompasses a stream and an oval pond from which the fishing lady has extracted a large brown fish. The sampler is a delightful combination of the fishing scene and a full verse, topped off with a fully-worked cross stitched sky and the inscription, "Elizabeth Tice 1810 On The Works of The Creation". Worked in silk on wool, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into its original gold leaf frame.

Sampler size: 16" X 123f4" Price: $3850.

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es Daughter.

Miriam Betton, Philadelphia, circa 1810 Our wonderful little memorial sampler was

"done by Miriam Betton in the 11 year of her age" circa 1810, and was dedicated to the memory of an unnamed child, most likely a family member. The samplermaker may have been the daughter of Samuel Betton, a physician living in Philadelphia in the early 19th century. This lustrous tribute retains much of the original black silk ribbon that so clearly defines it as a very fashionable type of sampler in the neoclassical period. According to Mourning Becomes America, "Mourning art ... was a way of showing that one had good taste and proper manners." While the young Miss Betton completed her drooping willows and cross-stitched urns with great proficiency, she seemed to have had a bit of a problem fitting the last letters onto each line of her verse, as is evident along the right edge of the sampler. Silk on linen, and in excellent condition with one minor area of loss to the upper right hand corner of the linen. Conservation mounted with an additional edging of later black ribbon to stabilize the original ribbon, in a fine 19th century gilt frame. Sampler size: lllf2'' x 11 W' Price: $4200.

Lydia Kimball, Nazareth, Pennsylvania, 1827 The town of Nazareth, Northampton County, Pennsylvania was founded in 1741 as a colony for Moravians and it remained closed to non-Moravians untill857. According to the Moravian Historical Society of Nazareth, Lydia Kimball is listed in town records of 1818 living with her mother and grandparents; she obviously attended school in Nazareth as well. The sampler presents many different alphabets worked around a center cartouche-enclosed inscription, and a pair of cross-stitched birds flank a flowering plant at the bottom. Similar alphabets, cartouches, and birds appear on other Moravian samplers published in The

Ornamental Branches, Needlework and Arts from the Lititz Moravian Girls' SchoollS00-1865, by Patricia T. Herr. While eleven Moravian samples from Lititz are known to exist, this is the only Nazarth sampler of which we are aware. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a 19th century gold frame. Sample size: 17" x 11 W' Price: $2450

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23 Mary Young, Cape May County, N.J., circa 1812 This delicate and beautifully wrought sampler was worked by Mary Young of Cape May County, New Jersey; she inscribed the record of her birth along with that of her father, farmer and shipbuilder Stephen Young and mother, Elizabeth (Evans) Young. Our research tells us that Mary was their seventh child and that the family resided in Marmora and Peck's Beach. They owned a "plantation" as well as land in a salt works, marsh and a cedar swamp in this region which became a fashionable sea side resort later into of the 19th century. Mary and her brothers, Uriah (who was deaf), Stephen and Ezra shared in the family's ample holdings when their father's will was filed in 1817. It is likely that our Mary Young was the same person who was recorded as marrying Eli Burrell on May 5, 1821 in Cape May County, and her own will was registered in 1861. Mary may have learned her needleworking skills at a local school or boarded further from home. Her sampler is rather sophisticated and shows the influence of a knowledgeable teacher; the three-sided border especially indicates influence from the Philadelphia area. In contrast, the two chimney Federal house was designed in a highly individual fashion - the oversized bird on the roof and the arbitrary nature of the windows, some of which were depicted shuttered and some open. The sampler was worked in silk on linen, is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a striped maple frame with an ebony bead. Sampler size: 19W' x 17" Price: $7200.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel

rs Daughter.

24 Elizabeth Summers, mid-Atlantic states, circa 1835 "Elizabeth Summers is my name with the nedle [sic] I work the same born 1827" is the inscription on this handsome and colorful sampler. The large brick Georgian house, executed with meticulous detail, is flanked by willow trees and set upon a marvelous blue and green lawn worked in the satin stitch. The octagonal medallion containing two cream-colored ducks is unlike any needlework motif that we have encountered and was probably meant to represent a pond. Elements of the design and execution point to the mid-Atlantic states as the origin of this piece, with Maryland as the strongest possibility. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in fair condition and sustained some loss, predominantly to the lawn and the upper corners. Conservation mounted into a walnut molded frame. Sampler size: 16" x 15" Price: $2850.

Marking Sampler, New England, circa 1820 Our winsome and diminutive sampler represents, no doubt, the early efforts of a young needleworker. The alphabets and numerical progression are joined by two simple tree-like motifs, with a bird perched at the far right. Samplers such as this were typically worked at a "dame's school"; these small schools existed for the instruction of the very young (up to six or seven years of age) and "offered elementary lessons in small, simple cross-stitched marking or alphabet samplers" according to M.J. Edmonds in Samplers and Samplermakers. The tree at the left is reminiscent of motifs found on early Boston samplers, and we are certain that this piece originated in New England. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a beveled 19th century frame. Sampler size: 4114'' x 7W' Price: $925.

M.Finkel e9 Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Miniature Darning Sampler, England, 1796 We were delighted to find this particularly well-made miniature English darning sampler worked in 1796 and initialed "I.A.H." and "A.M.R.". After the schoolmistress cut and discarded four squares from the linen, the needleworker would have been assigned the task of creating fabric patterns by darning in the warp and the weft. A geometric border surrounds the sampler completing this highly graphic form. It was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a 19th century walnut frame with gilt liner. Sampler size: 9" x 9 1/s" Price: $950.

Elizabeth Beechum, Homcastle, England, circa 1820 The village of Horncastle, located in northern England and known for its ruins of Roman fortifications, is the origin of this refined little marking sampler. Elizabeth Beechum, working in blue threads, completed three alphabets and one brief numerical progression with different borders separating each line. Worked in silk on wool, the sampler is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into its original rosewood beveled frame. Sampler size: 61f4'' x 51/z" Price: $1100. to. (~hzahe.th

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AMERICA ' S LEADING SAMPLER ANIJ NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel

es Daughter.

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.

Carefully clean the piece using our special vacuum process.

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.

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.

Supply a reverse painted black glass mat, if appropriate, done in correct antique manner.

When necessary, install trueVueÂŽ Conservation Clear glass which blocks 97% of the harmful Ultra-violet light.

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.

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AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

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 Samplennakers, 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. Herr, Patricia T. The Ornamental Branches, Needlework and Art from the Lititz Moravian Girls' School Between 1800 and 1865. The Heritage Center Museum of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1996. Hersh, Tandy and Charles. Samplers of the Pennsylvania Gennans. 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, 1983. Let Vutue 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.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel (:j Daughter.