Samplings: XVI

VOLUME XVI

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

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

800-598-7432

fax 215-627-8199

We hope you will enjoy our new website: www.samplings.com

cover illustration: detail of sampler worked by Lydia Stokes, 1824, page 1 Copyright Š 1999 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.

Samplings .. . volume XVI "Like other forms of material culture, samplers are products of a particular society and thus reflect attitudes, expectations, and changes within that society. Samplers are also works of art that not only please modern eyes, but tell us what was considered aesthetically pleasing in the past. More importantly, these examples of plain and decorative needlework illuminate the lives of people often overlooked in written history: the girls and women who lived during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries."

The interest in schoolgirl samplers and silk embroideries as a window to understanding our history continues to grow. The above quote from Kim Smith Ivey's new book, In the Neatest manner: The Making of the Virginia Sampler Tradition, which accompanies an exhibition of the same name at Colonial Williamsburg, well represents the basis for our interest in the field. Fortunately, we continue to discover fascinating examples and our genealogical research has been rewarding. We hope that you will share our enthusiasm.

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. 1997 marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of our firm, a fact of which we are quite proud. 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 back of 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 any one of us. 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 cost are extra. We prefer to ship via UPS second day air or Federal Express, insured.

Amy Finkel Morris Finkel Martine Webber 800-598-7432 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 for more information.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF CONTENTS ¡ Mary Allgaier, Reading, Pennsylvania, 1827 .................................................................. page Sarah Barker, Broad Oaks School, England, 1813 ........................................................ page Jane Blacklock, British Isles, circa 1825 ........................................................................ page Lucretia Bleyler, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1824 ........................................................ page Frances Brazher, England, 1810 .................................................................................... page Mary Bringhurst, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 1815 ........................................ page Charlotte Brown, Albany, New York, 1826 .................................................................... page Deborah Butler, White-work, Delaware Valley, 1798 ...................................................... page Mindia Campbell, Acworth, New Hamphire, 1817 ........................................................ page Anna Marie Culliford, National School, England, 1867 ................................................ page Catharine Davies, Wales, circa 1880 .............................................................................. page Mariette Dessaigne, France, 1826 .................................................................................. page Elizabeth Dickinson, Pennsylvania or New Jersey, 1813 .............................................. page Dutch Motif Sampler, Amsterdam, 1768 ........................................................................ page Embroidered Ladies' Pockets, Pennsylvania, circa 1780-1810 ...................................... page Harriet Fletcher, York, England, 1833 ............................................................................ page Elizabeth Greenawalt, Pennsylvania, 1824 .................................................................... page Sarah Holding, Greenwich, England, 1843 .................................................................... page House & Garden, Delaware Valley, 1834 ........................................................................ page Louisa Lumbard, England, 1835 .................................................................................... page Jane Ann Mabbott, England, 1833 .................................................................................. page Jane Means, Shippensburgh, Pennsylvania, 1817 .......................................................... page Mary Me irs, Cream Ridge, New Jersey, 1838 .................................................................. page Mary H. Morrison, Nine Partners School, New York, 1827 .......................................... page Emily Needham, Danvers, Massachusetts, 1832 ............................................................ page Desire Norris, New London, Connecticut, 1803 ............................................................ page Eliza Ormerod, Manchester, England, 1822 .................................................................. page Pair Miniature Samplers, Westmeon, England, 1801 .................................................... page Rebecca Reding Pimm, English, circa 1825 .................................................................. page Sophronia Pool, Rockport, Massachusetts, 1825 .......................................................... page Harriet Reed, Pennsylvania, 1837 .................................................................................. page Silk Embroidery & Crepe Work, Moravian, Pennsylvania, circa 1835 ...... .................... page Hannah Stetson, Salem, Massachusetts, 1820 .............................................................. page St. Joseph's Academy, Emmitsburg, Maryland, circa 1838 ............................................ page Lydia Stokes, Burlington County, New Jersey, 1824 ...................................................... page Elizabeth Stott, England, 1841 ...................................................................................... page Freelove Townsend, Long Island, New York, 1825 ........................................................ page Paula Vega, Spain, 1825 .................................................................................................. page Susanna Vidamour, England, 1809 ................................................................................ page Emma Wright, Tottenham, England,1887 ...................................................................... page

M. Finkel~ Daughter.

19 14 28 5 31 27 24 3 2 26 12 14 9 8 11 20 29 28 21 28 24 25 15 16 30 4 23 30 26 10 6 22 18 13 1 26 17 29 7 23

AMERICA ' S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

1

Lydia Stokes, Burlington County, New Jersey, 1824 It,is a privilege to offer this extremely rare and important Burlington County sampler worked by ten year old Lydia Stokes, a young lady from one of the most prominent and early Quaker families from Evesham, Burlington County, New Jersey. The Quaker samplers of Burlington County are fully discussed by Betty Ring in Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. II, pages 476 to 485. These spectacular samplers were worked in Quaker schools under the instruction of demanding teachers in towns such as Evesham, Moorestown, Mount Holly, and Pine Grove and they comprise New Jersey's largest group of important samplers. Mrs. Ring notes that these samplers include renditions of important buildings, lawns with small figures, large swans and other animals, giant roosters, squirrels, backward-looking birds and many various Quaker sampler designs. Our Lydia Stokes sampler is a spectacular new discovery and an important addition to this body of work.

Lydia was born January 8, 1814, the last of the ten children of Joshua Stokes and Deborah Hooten. She worked this outstanding sampler at the age of ten in Evesham, and in 1829 attended the Westtown School of Chester County, Pennsylvania, the most important Quaker school in the mid Atlantic states and one which had an important relationship with the Quakers of Burlington County. In fact, Lydia Stokes remained active in the Quaker community and served as a trustee on the board of the Westtown School from 1861 to 1879. In 1841 Lydia married Henry W. Wills, a farmer and businessman from a similarly prominent Burlington County Quaker family (the family land was deeded from William Penn to Dr. Daniel Wills in 1676) and their five children were born between 1843 and 1857. This sampler descended in the family until at least 1933 when it was in the possession of Lydia's granddaughter,Julia Haines Moon.

The sampler was worked in silk onto fine linen gauze and is in excellent condition with a few lost stitches. It is conservation mounted into its fine original mahogany corner block frame with Tru-Vue glass.

Sampler size: 23 W' X 19 W' Price: $38,000.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M. Finkel~ Daughter.

2

Mindia Campbell, Acworth, New Hampshire, 1817 Miridia Campbell was born in the town of Acworth, in western New Hampshire, on June 21, 1801 to James Weaver, a coverlet weaver from an early Acworth family and his second wife Ann Nurse. Mindia, whose given name was Mindwell, married Asa Davis Moore, the son of Flagg and Lucy (Davis) Moore and their ten children were born and raised in the town of Acworth.

The delicate sampler that Mindia completed on December 8, 1817 displays an unusually crisp and handsome aesthetic. The stylized side borders incorporate two open blossom flowers at the upper corners, and the sawtooth lawn along the bottom provides a platform for trees, flowers, hearts and birds. Mindia's inclusion of her date of birth and the town name onto her sampler adds to the appeal of this classic example. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition and conservation mounted into a molded walnut frame.

Sampler size: 16 lfz'' x 17" Price: $3200.

M. Finkel~ Daughter.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Deborah Butler, White-work sampler, Delaware Valley, 1798

White work samplers, for reasons that are eminently clear, are one of the most desirable of all forms of American schoolgirl needlework. They were produced in the Philadelphia area in the 18th century and the majority of the known examples date from approximately 1763 to the end of the century. This particular technique, called cut work, is a wonderfully delicate form of needlework in which embroidery stitches bind a given area, the inside linen is cut away and the void is filled with worked stitches. White work was frequently combined with silk embroidered embellishments as was the case with our stellar sampler worked by Deborah Butler in 1798. Sprigs of flowers and sawtooth borders appear along with the inscription, and these elements appear on other white-work samplers (see Elizabeth Yeatman's 1786 white-work sampler illustrated in Historical Needlework of Pennsylvania by Margaret B. Schiffer). Many of the samplemakers were from prominent Quaker families in the Delaware Valley area and it is the opinion of Susan B. Swan, scholar and author in the field , that Deborah Butler was from a Quaker family in either Chester County, Pennsylvania or the state of Delaware. We are very pleased to be able to offer this sampler as very few examples of this work come onto the market. It is in overall excellent condition, with two small areas of loss to the linen along the left edge, conservation mounted into a 19th century frame with gilt liner.

Sampler size: 8 1/4' x 8" Price: $12,500.

AMERICA ¡ s

LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel

es Daughter.

3

4

Desire Norris, New London, Connecticut, 1803 An¡important group of samplers was worked in New London County, Connecticut beginning in the middle of the 1760's and characteristics of this style continued to appear on samplers from this area into the early 19th century. Examples are illustrated in the Betty Ring's Girlhood Embroidery, Volume I, pages 195 to 201 , and this Norris sampler features some of these regional patterns, including the large stylized flowers and the Greek key design band. Desire also included a wonderful inscription, "Let virtue be your constant guide and learning be your greatest pride."

Initial research indicates that Desire Norris was the daughter of Henry and Desire Norris of New London, born August 12, 1790. It is likely that further research will provide greater detail. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition in a 19th century beveled frame with its original grain painted finish.

Sampler size: 15" x 10"

Price: $3850 .

M. Finkel eJ Daughter.

AMERICA ' s LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

5

Lucretia D. Bleyler, Philadelphia, 1824

~

One of the most important groups of Philadelphia schoolgirl needlework is well documented by Betty Ring in Vol. II of Girlhood Embroidery in the section entitied "Philadelphia in the Federal Period, Samplers with Mansions and Stepped Cardens". These samplers, which were made from the 1790's through the 1830's, tend to include an impressive building set upon a lawn filled with animals, plants and, in the case of a more advanced samplermaker, occasionally a man or woman.

..........,.._......

Ma"-'.t.v.~Modbr AMP Jlle .......d

Maio.-"'...,_..

...

AW"''i'~ .. ~ollilol

l.laonal>llk)'W~• . . . . ,.,...,

Lucretia Bleyler, the maker of this positively exceptional example, also included a beeskeep and a gazebo on her neatly worked lawn. The man and woman are each fashionably dressed and hatted in the fashion contemporary to the 1820's. Her exquisitely worked brick mansion is so detailed as to include fan and sidelights and a door knocker and knob on her paneled front door. The pair of trees, with their unusual serrated profiles are identical to the trees that appear on other samplers from this group and the striped two handled urns are also a mainstay of Philadelphia samplermaking.

Lucretia was the daughter of Thomas and Lucretia Bleyler of Philadelphia, born April 5, 1815. She married Burris Subers and their four children were born in Philadelphia; their daughter Susannah inherited this sampler and passed it on to her daughter Susan Cook. Lucretia died on September 13, 1898 and she was buried in the Philanthropic Cemetery in Philadelphia. Her sampler was completed on "January the 9 1824" and remains in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a molded figured cherry frame.

Sampler size: 16 W' x 17 W' Price: $16,500. (detail) AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M. Finkel

es Daughter.

6

Harriet Reed, Pennsylvania, 183 7

House and home played an integral role in the lives of American families in the early 19th century. Jane C. Nylander in Our Own Snug Fireside, a wonderful book which portrays the role of the home from the mid 18th through the mid 19th century, confirms that the house was idealized as the ultimate image of comfort and security by family members. It is therefore not surprising that American schoolgirls prominently featured depictions of domestic architecture on many of their samplers. Twelve year old Harriet Reed, working in 1837, developed her needleworked house with many features and details which may have reflected her hope for her future rather than the reality of her current home. This pale pink and blue house has three chimneys, doors on both the first and second floors and 12 paned windows with stylish willow trees and a purple fence appearing on the grounds. Other sampler designs such as the birds, baskets and flowers show clear Quaker origins consistent with the Pennsylvania provenance of this piece. Worked in crewel wool on linen, it is in excellent condition with some loss to the red strawberries that form the border. It is conservation mounted into a maple and cherry cornerblock frame .

Sampler size: 17" x 14 W' Price: $7800.

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

7

Susanna Vidamour, England, 1809 Rarely does one find as large and impressive a showing of needlework on one sampler, as is presented on this splendid example worked by a 12-year-old English schoolgirl. The wholly pictorial format employs a large variety of stitches and techniques and the result is breathtaking. The stylized clamshell and diamond borders effectively contain the many visual components including two baskets piled high with fruit, two highly detailed birds, grape clusters growing on a vine, a horn of plenty and a lion wreathed in a cartouche. It is likely that Susanna Vidamour lived on one of the Channel Islands where other samplers with similar design elements have been discovered. Worked in silk on linen; the sampler is in excellent condition, with a minor area of color which has run at the upper right, conservation mounted into a molded figured cherry frame with Tru-Vue glass.

Sampler size: 27" x 20 W'

Price: $6200.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

8

Dutch Motif Sampler, Amsterdam, 1768 Ear-ly Dutch samplers offer a wonderful combination of stunning, wide. ly varied pictorial motifs along with consistently excellent needlework.

This sampler includes, as its peripheral elements, many which would be considered desirable if they appeared by themselves on a Dutch sampler: the spies of Canaan (Joshua and Caleb holding a large bunch of grapes between them), Adam and Eve with the serpent and the tree, a handsome Dutch house, a man and woman each with a lighted torch, a peacock (symbol of eternity), a fully rigged ship, potted flowers, the Free Maiden (the woman standing atop a gate, historically symbolizing liberty), and two angels holding the cartouche which contains the date.

But it is the central designs, an outstanding rendition of a recumbent stag (a biblical reference to Psalm 41: 2) and the beautifully worked crest of the city of Amsterdam (the pair of rampart lions flanking the lozenge with triplex's) which commands ones attention. This is a sampler which presents itself at the top of every criteria: design, color, execution, condition, and of course, early date. It was worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition and it is conservation mounted into an early 19th century cherry veneer frame.

Sampler size: 15 314'' X 14 W' Price: $7800.

M. Finkel~ Daughter.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

9 Elizabeth Dickinson, Pennsylvania or New Jersey, 1813 A group of samplers featuring prominent architectural buildings set upon stepped lawns was worked from the late 18th to early 19th centuries in the Philadelphia area and in nearby New Jersey, and this outstanding sampler by Elizabeth Dickinson, dated 1813, is a most handsome addition to this body of work. The two chimney Federal house was worked with lustrous satin stitches to form the windows and is flanked by four trees of a highly original and appealing design, each topped by an oversized bird. The gazebo or garden structure contributes another unusual note enhancing the garden-like nature of this setting along with the butterflies and flowers. The finely worked inscription surrounded by a cartouche is reminiscent of those that appear on Chester County, Pennsylvania samplers from the same time period (see figures 436 and 437) in Vol. II of Girlhood Embroidery by Betty Ring. Elizabeth Dickinson's sampler leaves no doubt as in its influences and origin. It is in excellent condition with a few very minor weaknesses to the linen. It was worked in silk on linen and conservation mounted into a cherry frame with a line inlay.

Sampler size: 17" X 17 1/4'' Price: $9800.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M. Finkel~ Daughter.

10

Sophronia Pool, Rockport, Essex County, Massachusetts, 1825

The geometric border and stylized scene of the windmill and birds on the spool-like columns set this sampler apart from the many other early 19th century samplers from Essex County. The samplermaker, Sophronia Pool, worked an alphabet entirely in the eyelet stitch with a geometric band of diamonds and hearts further distinguish her needlework. Her inscription is followed by a two-line verse, "Tis education forms the common mind/ Just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined" from Alexander Pope's "Moral Essays", epistle I, line 149 (see Emily Needham's sampler on page 30 of this catalogue).

Sophronia was the daughter of Solomon and Hannah (Jordon) Pool from the small town of Rockport, and was born April 8, 1812. She married George Washington Colby of nearby Gloucester on December 9, 1832 and they had two children there.

Her sampler was worked in silk on linen and it is in excellent condition. It is conservation mounted into a beveled tiger maple frame with ebony bead.

Sampler size: 16 114'' x 17 W'

Price: $3650.

M. Finkel G Daughter.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Pair of Embroidered Ladies' Pockets, initialed "R.H. ", Pennsylvania, circa 1780-1810 A wonderfully informative article, entitled "Ladies' Pockets" and written by Yolanda Van de Krol was published in The Magazine Antiques, March 1996 and includes the following quotation: "Beginning in the mid-to-late seventeenth century, women wore detachable, bellshaped bags tied around their waists as pockets. Women carried a wide range of objects in their pockets, from sewing implements to drinking cups. Since it is quite common for pockets to be fifteen inches or more deep, women could carry many objects at a time .. . [they survive] as intriguing manifestations offemale ingenuity, thriftiness and needlework skills."

Ladies' pockets would have been of either whole cloth, pieced, appliqued or embroidered construction and it is the embroidered examples that would have required the most skill, and obviously share much with samplers of the same period. They were typically made in pairs with hand-loomed tape edging the openings, connecting the pockets to one another and serving as the tie around the wearer's waist. Pockets would be lined and backed in a plain fabric, in this case a glazed cotton was used. This extremely impressive pair has survived in remarkable condition and was worked with silk embroidery to fashion the flowers, berries, birds, and initials onto a stunning tobacco brown ground, a fabric which was woven of linen and cotton combined.

Pockets are each 17 lfz'' high.

Price for the pair: $6200.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M. Finkel~ Daughter.

11

12

Catharine G. Davies, Wales, circa 1880 A 1991 exhibition entitled "Samplers from the Welsh Folk Museum Collection" in Cardiff, Wales introduced us to the body of delightful schoolgirl samplers worked in Wales. Industrious young Welsh needleworkers produced samplers from the 17th through the mid 20th centuries but only a relative few used the Welsh language on their samplers. In fact, of the 430 samplers in the collection of the Welsh Folk Museum, only 19 have any Welsh language inscription, and consistent with our Welsh example, most of these date from the mid to late 19th century. Our sampler by Catharine G. Davies is an outstanding example of a Welsh language sampler, the only one that we have ever known of outside of a museum collection.

Catharine G. Davies, age 11 years, used a Biblical inscription, Psalm 24 Verse 4 which translates as "Show me thy ways 0 Lord!feach me thy paths." Her sampler features a large rendition of a detailed steamer ship named the "City of Chester"; this was a ship built in 1873 in Scotland, which sailed out of Liverpool to North America. The ship may have had special significance to the samplermaker and her family and it provides wonderful subject matter for her highly pictorial sampler. The scene along the bottom depicts a chapel with a fat rooster and a cat adding to the whimsy of the piece. The sampler was worked in merino wool onto a linen canvas, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into its original bird's eye maple veneer frame with gilt liner.

Sampler size: 25 W' x 25 W'

M. Finkel

Price: $5700.

es Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

St. Joseph's Academy, Emmitsburg, Maryland, circa 1838

In 1809 a Catholic school for girls, St. Joseph's Academy, was established by Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton (1774- 1821), the daughter of a member of New York's high society who later became the first American born Saint of the Catholic Church. Her school, St. Joseph's Academy in Emmitsburg, Frederick County, Maryland was directed by the Sisters of Charity and the students produced a body of extremely well regarded memorial silk embroideries in the 1820's and 30's. St. Joseph's Academy silk embroideries rarely appear on the market and our offering, worked in the memory of members on the Shorb and Shultz family is a most impressive example. In Volume II of Girlhood Embroidery, Betty Ring writes about this school (pages 516- 521) and illustrates a very similar silk embroidery worked circa 1837 (figure 582). Mrs. Ring's article in the March 1978 issue of The Magazine Antiques, provides more information and examples from this group.

The Shorb and Shultz families were members of the prominent Catholic communities of Baltimore and Emmitsburg. Four specific family members are memorialized on this piece and archives of the St. Joseph's Academy document that six girls, most likely sisters or cousins, from either the Shorb or Shultz family attended the school between 1837 (the latest date to appear on a tomb of this silk embroidery) and 1840.

The silk embroidery worked in chenille, watercolor and ink onto silk; it is in extraordinary condition in a period mahogany veneer frame.

Size of silk embroidery: 16" x 25 W' Price: $14,000. (detail) AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M. Finkel~ Daughter.

13

14

Sarah Barker, Broad Oaks School, England, 1813 The wonderfully stylized, highly geometric piece of architecture which, along with the two dogs and nine birds, dominates this classic English sampler adds greatly to its visual impact; it presents itself in an unusually graphic fashion. The samplermaker, Sarah Barker, may have been the young lady of the same name born on June 25, 1800 to Jonas and Dinah Barker from the town of Clayton in Yorkshire and the school which she attended, the Broad Oaks School, could well have been in Yorkshire. She produced a charming and well-executed sampler, which remains in excellent condition. This sampler was worked in silk on linen and is conservation mounted into a beveled bird's eye maple frame with maple bead.

Sampler size: 17" xl0" Price: $2700.

Mariette Dessaigne, French Bead Work, 1826 Beadwork has been an interesting and important category of needlework from the 17th century forth, with minute beads used either to highlight certain areas or to form an entire picture, as an alternative to silk and wool threads. We have known of more than one beadwork picture which remains unfinished because, it must be assumed, of the difficult and time-consuming nature of the project! This pastoral scene was fully worked in beads and features a woman and her farm animals at a duck pond and the inscription, when translated, informs us that it is made by "Mariette Dessaigne, Boarding School of the Misses Cerisier 1826". It is in its original period gold frame and, as in the case with most headwork, retains its vivid palette of colors.

Size of the picture: 8" X 12 3//' Price: $2200.

M.Finkel

es Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Mary L. Meirs, Cream Ridge, New Jersey, 1838 (detail) This is a most impressive sampler, worked by a young lady from a prominent family in the town of Cream Ridge, Monmouth County, New Jersey. The stunning needleworked scene along the bottom depicts a vine-covered gazebo, lustrous teal blue trees, two winsome white sheep and a detailed 1830's five-bay brick house. The two tables under the gazebo support baskets of fruit and the deep.green lawn bears the inscription "Mary Me irs Cream Ridge May 1838". The sampler is bordered on four sides with a queens' stitched strawberry and vine border and a narrow outer sawtooth border. It is a splendid display of needlework accomplished by a young girl working in concert with an obviously knowledgeable and talented schoolmistress.

Mary Meirs' family had lived in Monmouth County for many generations. She was born in Cream Ridge on March 17, 1826, the second of the five children born to Thomas and Rebecca (Conover) Meirs. She married John R. Longstreet, a musician, farmer and landowner on the last day of October 1844 at the home of her parents in Cream Ridge. John and Mary lived in a twelveroom farmhouse in the nearby town of Davis for many years, and their ten children were born there between 1845 and 1862. Mary died at the age of 83 and was buried at the Old Yellow Meeting House in Cream Ridge, where she had been a member of the choir for most of her life.

The sampler was worked in silk and merino wool on linen and is in excellent condition. It is conservation mounted into its 19th century gold leaf frame.

Sampler size: 23" X 21 3//' Price: $12,500.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

15

Mary H. Morrison, Nine Partners' Boarding School, Dutchess County, New York, 1827 Nine Partners' Boarding School, which was located in the village of Mechanic, Dutchess County, New York, was the first successful American Quaker coeducational boarding school. It was founded in 1796 on part of a tract of land called the Great Nine Partners' Patent that had been granted to nine Englishmen by William III in 1697; the New York Quaker meeting which established the school sought "a religious and guarded education of our youth" (see Betty Ring's Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. II, pages 306311).

By the early 19th century, the school was attracting students from varied and distant locations. Mary H. Morrison was born on April 15, 1814 to Samuel and Hannah (Carpenter) Morrison of the Danby Monthly Meeting in Rutland County, Vermont and, in the first month of 1827, she worked this outstanding sampler at the Nine Partners' Boarding School. An example published in Girlhood Embroidery, figure 331, by Jane Titus, also worked in the first month of 1827 is extremely similar and affords an interesting opportunity to view the work of two schoolgirls who were receiving instruction at the time in the same classroom.

Both of these samplers include the handsome geometric half medallions as well as the specific alphabets and numerical progressions which are known to have been taught at Quaker schools. Mary's sampler was worked predominantly in varying shades of green and black and presents a fascinating and extremely carefully worked example.

According to Quaker records the Morrison family lived in Danby, Vermont which is south of Rutland.

The family also had ties to the town of Granville, New York, which is at the border of New York and Vermont, and the sampler descended to a family member, A. Bulkley of Granville, as stated on its original backboard.

It was worked in

silk on linen and is in very good condition with slight loss to one letter, and has been conservation mounted into a cherry molded frame.

Sampler size: 16 314'' X 16 W' Price: $6200.

M. Finkel~ Daughter.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

17

Freelove Townsend, Long Island, 1825 In 1657 a small group of Friends came to Long Island from England and established a settlement at New Netherland, and other Quaker communities quickly grew at Flushing, Hempstead, Gravesend and Oyster Bay. The Townsend family was an early fixture within this community from the late 17th century forth.

Several members of the Townsend family are documented as 17th and 18th century woodworkers and craftsmen in Oyster Bay in Long Island Is My Nation: The Decorative Arts & Craftsmen 1640- 1830

by Dean F. Failey. Documented Long Island samplers are relatively rare and those exhibiting Quaker influence and with Quaker provenance would be considered exceedingly scarce.

Samplers exhibiting a pronounced Quaker influence, such as the bold graphic of Freelove's alphabets and the pair of flowers flanking her inscription, were worked at Quaker schools from New England down to South Carolina (refer to Vol. II of Girlhood Embroidery, "Quaker Samplers in America"). However the overwhelming majority of the American Quaker needlework comes from southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey reflecting the nature of those communities.

Freelove Townsend's sampler was worked in 1825 and appears twice on the sampler (at the end of the second alphabet as well as on her inscription line) tiny examples of the queens' stitch as well as a traditional border of the 18th century design worked along the bottom further decorate the sampler. It is in excellent condition, was worked in silk on linen and has been conservation mounted into a beveled figured walnut frame with maple bead, with Tru-Vue glass.

Sampler size: 15 W' x 18" Price: $8200.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel e:J Daughter.

18

Hannah M. Stetson, Salem, Massachusetts, 1820 Samplers worked in the Salem, Massachusetts area, from the early 18th century through the early 19th century have proven to be some of the most sought after of all New England samplers. This piece worked by Hannah Stetson of the town of Salem in 1820, names her instructress, Minerva Bryant, and is a very interesting piece, designed and carefully worked within the century old tradition from this area.

The sampler includes a particular band-like pictorial design which incorporates wonderful elongated lion-like creatures and clearly shows the influence of the mid-18th century samplermaking of Salem and renders this early 19th century an especially interesting example.

Hannah was born on February 23, 1809 to William and Mary (Ropes) and died in Salem, unmarried, in 1842. Her instructress, Minerva Bryant, was born in Hampshire County, Massachusetts in 1800 and must have spent some time teaching in Salem before her 1825 marriage to Dr. Morris Dwight of Dedham.

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

Sampler size: 16" x 17 W'

Price: $2850.

M. Finkel~ Daughter.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

19 Mary Allgaier, Reading, Pennsylvania, 1827 A documented group of highly accomplished schoolgirl samplers was worked in the town of Reading in Berks County over a period of 40 years, from the end of the 18th century until approximately 1839. These samplers share many key elements, including the vertically striped two handled urn of flowers, the stylized pear trees, the checkerboard wellhouse, the turret-top castle, imposing brick houses and liberal use of complex stitches such as the queens' stitch. It is a fascinating group, which reflects the skill of a sophisticated teacher whose initials, "MT", appears on our sampler as well as others from this group. An 1830 example, also initialed "MT", appears on page 80 of Historical Needlework of Pennsylvania by Margaret B. Schiffer.

Our samplemaker was born on February 28, 1814 to a boot and shoemaker, Joseph Allgaier and his wife Anna Mary (Lambert) Allgaier of Reading. The initials of her parents flank her inscription and those of her grandparents (Sebastian and Catherine Allgaier and Dorothy and James Lambert) appear below. The Allgaier family roots can be traced back to Michael Allgaier of lttlinger Germany, born 1675. By 1751 the family had settled in Berks County. Mary Allgaier never married and she died in 1895 in Reading. A copy of her will, indicating her charitable interests, and a file of family information accompanies this sampler.

It is our privilege to offer this fine addition to the published examples of this desirable group.

Mary's sampler is in excellent condition, worked in silk on linen with a border of its original silk ribbon and rosettes, conservation mounted into a molded figured cherry frame with Tru-Vue glass.

Sampler size: 23 W' x 18 114'' Price: $10,500.

(detail) AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

Haniot Fletcher, York, England, 1833

(detail)

This exemplary sampler depicts a subject rarely seen in schoolgirl needlework: an elaborate hunt scene, complete with hunters, dogs and birds. The needleworker used minute cross and tent stitches to form the highly detailed scene, with unbelievably fine stitches to form the flock of birds (one of which has succumbed to the hunters' efforts!). The scale of the large-blossomed border and the lush broad leaves of the tree in the foreground contrasts well with the tight scale of the hunting scene and the extremely finely detailed castle in the background which was worked in several shades of grey. Additionally, the two narrow borders of fully worked contrasting circles serve the design of the sampler well.

The sampler is inscribed "Harriot Fletcher (Age 14 years) York, May 25, Anno Domini 1833" in intricate gothic lettering. Family history, which accompanied the sampler, indicates that Harriot Fletcher had been adopted from an orphanage and raised by a family in Derby, England, and that the sampler descended through generations of her adoptive family until quite recently. Worked in silk on wool, in excellent condition with a few tiny areas of loss to the wood, conservation mounted into a molded brown and gold painted frame.

Sampler size: 14" x 17 lfz''

Price: $4250.

M. Finkel~ Daughter.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

wti ,. av iw ~路Gw~h!r 路 s.Jc路 y

~

Delaware Valley House and Garden Sampler, 1834 This large and handsome sampler has much to recommend itself: a prominent five bay house with two chimneys and a raised panel front door, one of the most graceful trees we have ever come across on a sampler, and a narrow inner border surrounded by a wide traditional, flowing flower and vine border. The alphabet is wonderfully stylized and the blue and tan band which separates the two rows of the alphabet is a beautifully worked example of the queens' stitch which was considered extremely challenging and typically was taught only to advanced students of needlework.

The sampler is unsigned but the date of 1834 appears prominently between the chimneys and although we cannot name the needleworker, her sampler survives to attest to her skill in the needle arts.

The sampler is worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into its original mahogany veneer frame with Tru-Vue glass.

Sampler size: 21 IN' x 22 'N'

Price: $8500.

(detail)

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M. Finkel~ Daughter. 路

21

22 Silk embroidery & Crepework, Moravian, Pennsylvania, c. 1835 The Moravian seminaries of the towns of Lititz and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania were founded in 1748 and 1742 respectively and by the early 19th century their students were receiving exemplary educations in a variety of academic curriculae as well as producing some of the most sophisticated and finely worked silk embroideries in the country. One form of silk embroidery, which became popular at these schools combined silk and chenille embroidery with three-dimensional crepework, (chiffon fabric which was fashioned into petals, blossoms and buds, and occasionally painted) which served as the medium for floral compositions. High-style, expensive shadow box frames finished off these projects. Published examples of this work indicates that it was popular from the late 1820's through at least the late 1830's and our example, in its original gold leaf frame, would date stylistically from the end of this period. This is an intriguing piece, it combines the delicacy of early Moravian work (the frond-like foliage near the two flowers at the upper right and the pistons and stymens of the two blossoms at the top), with high dimensional chiffon crepework, and the result is extremely appealing. It was worked in silk, chenille and chiffon with paint on silk and is in its outstanding original gold leaf frame.

Sampler size: 14 W' x 11 W'

Price: $5800.

M. Finkel~ Daughter.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Eliza Ormerod, miniature sampler, Manchester, England, 1822 This miniature sampler measures only 3 W' high and was likely worked as a schoolgirl gift or memento. It is in an unusual booklet format: the back of the sampler is finished in blue silk with tiny gilt appliques and a tiny embossed and leather painted name plate which reiterates "E. Ormerod 1822". The sampler is edged with a sewn store-bought trim.

Eliza's christening, on Sept. 3, 1815 was registered at the Cathedral in Manchester and her parents were John and Ann Ormerod. At the age of 8, she worked this little gem with the aphroism "Be thankful for a friendly reproof'. It was worked in silk on wool; it is in excellent condition and has been set in a maple frame between glass so that the back is visible as well.

Sampler size: 3 lfz'' x 6 W' Price: $1750.

Emma Wright, Industrial Exhibition, England, 188 7 Few schoolgirls samplers were worked in the last decades of the 19th century and we were quite pleased to have purchased this highly unusual example. The format of this piece closely resembles the samplers of the early 19th century; it features a scene of Adam and Eve under a serpent-wrapped apple tree along with many varied classic sampler motifs, two alphabets and four small rectangles of pattern darning. But it is the inscription which captures our attention, indicating that the sampler was made either to commemorate or to be exhibited at the "Industrial Exhibition held at the Blue Ribbon Hall Forster Road Tottenham". Tottenham is an area just northeast of London on the River Lea. The sampler was worked by Emma Wright at age 12 "in Her Majesty's Jubilee Year 1887" when Queen Victoria celebrated 50 years as monarch. This is a delightful piece, which indicates the commemorative role of schoolgirl samplermaking even as the 19th century recognized the strides of industry. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition and conservation mounted into a beveled cherry frame with maple bead.

Sampler size: 15 W' x 16 3/4'' Price: $2450.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M. Finkel~ Daughter.

24

Jane Ann Mabbott, miniature sampler, England, 1833 Miniature samplers are predictably sought after by many sampler collectors and we are pleased to offer a number of them in this catalogue.

This endearing example was worked in a rich palette of colors by Jane Ann Mabbott at age ten in 1833 and has a visual strength unusual for a miniature. Cross-stitched animals, birds, and flowers appear along with her inscription on extremely fine gauzelike linen, which was widely known as "tiffany" and was used for clothing, household fabrics and samplers in the early 19th century.

Jane Ann Mabbott was from Newarkupon-Trent in Nottingham, a lovely little village on the River Trent. She was christened on May 22, 1822, the daughter of William and Elizabeth Mabbott. Her sampler is in excellent condition and conservation mounted into a period gold leaf frame.

Sampler size: 5 314'' x 5 W' Price: $1800.

Charlotte C. Brown, Albany, New York, 1826 This delightful little sampler, measuring only 3 W' high must have been an early needlework project by a young girl, Charlotte C. Brown, who informs us on her sampler that she was "Born July 26, 1817" and that she worked her sampler in "Albany February 2, 1826". Her religious verse was, no doubt, assigned by her teacher whereas the design of the two tiny motifs would have been of her own choice. Worked in silk on linen and in excellent condition, it has been conservation mounted into a 19th century gold leaf frame.

Sampler size: 3 lfz'' x 8"

Price: $1150.

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Jane Means, Shippensburgh, Pennsylvania, Miss Ruth Koch's School, 1817 (detail) An extraordinary body of early 19th century needlework emanates from the Susquehanna Valley in Pennsylvania, where highly talented schoolmistresses shared patterns and techniques while guiding their students in the creation of outstanding pictorial samplers.

We are extremely pleased to have discovered a spectacular sampler worked under the tutelage of a previously unknown but obviously very skilled teacher, Miss Ruth Koch of Shippensburgh, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. She taught a young lady, Jane Means who was born in 1804, to work this sampler in the classic style of this area (see Girlhood Embroidery by Betty Ring, vol. II, "Samplers of the Susquehanna Valley" for a full discussion of this grouping). The most appealing of these samplers feature spangle- outlined ovals with needleworked scenes and inscriptions, which credit both the parents and teacher of the samplermaker.

Jane's sampler includes many patterns and techniques shared by the other teachers from this area: the aforementioned oval outlined in spangles, the highly informative inscription, the distinctive long leafy branches, and the use of the human hair sewn onto the sampler to effect the hair of the figure. It is a stunning sampler, which represents this important area while showcasing the considerable talent of a previously undocumented schoolmistress.

Jane Means was born November 7, 1804 to Mary (Patterson) Means and John Means who operated a tannery in Shippensburgh.

On January 15, 1822 Jane married Daniel Nevin Pomeroy, a young man from a prominent Franklin County family. He took over the Means tannery and they had two children, John and Elizabeth. John Pomeroy later founded the Chester County, Pennsylvania town of Pomeroy. Jane Means Pomeroy died on March 1, 1830.

The subject matter, Charlotte Weeping for Werter, was based on Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe's Sorrows of Young Werter, a popular romantic novel published in 1787 and used by many schoolgirls for samplers and silk embroideries in the first quarter of the 19th century.

Worked in silk on gauze-like linen it is in very good condition with some minor running of color to the background and one small area of loss, in a period gold leaf frame.

Sampler size: 13 W' x 9 W' Price: $11,500.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M. Finkel~ Daughter.

25

26

Anna Maria Culliford, National School, England, 1867 Schoolgirls at the British National Schools worked samplers throughout the first three quarters of the 19th century and this sampler, signed, "Anna Maria Culliford National School, 1867" is a fine example, consistent in every aspect with work done in the first decades of the century. She featured the full ten lines of what is considered by scholars to be the most popular verse to appear on American or English samplers. The two dogs, each with their needleworked dog collar, add a note of whimsey. Worked in silk on wool the sampler is in excellant condition with the exception of some tiny areas of loss to the wool and is in a molded green and gold painted frame.

Sampler size: 14 !fz'' x 12 114'' Price: $1600.

Rebecca Reding Pimm, English, circa 1825

C>1'C!!.

4~

!1/C

··•·· ~wrn

.Af<>o

~s

v>·

~

~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . '1.2.2.2?!-lr"

English samplemakers had an affinity for using pairs of motifs to decorate their samplers and Rebecca Reding Pimm included flawlessly rendered pairs of crowns, pots and baskets of flowers, urns of fruit, and miniaturized scenes of peacocks flanking pine trees as her needlework motifs. Her alphabets, verse and border are all worked with tiny stitches and the result is a sampler which reflects well on 19th century schoolgirl craftsmanship.

Worked in silk on wool, it is in excellent condition in a walnut frame.

:t

ACEG fi<M

OQ,

.~ : ~ u w ~':'< ~~ $

Sampler size: 14 W' x 15 W' Price: $1250.

Elizabeth Stott, England, 1841 This colorful English sampler was worked by Elizabeth Stott at age 9 and has a charming naivete to it.

The pair of houses, each with a yellow and red bird on top of one of its chimneys, possess an unusual perspective and the pots of flowers and blooming trees, and baskets of fruit and butterflies must have held the attention of the youthful samplemaker. The border forms an effective framework and the overall aesthetic is quite pleasing. This sampler is worked silk on linen and it is in excellent condition, set into a 19th century beveled rosewood veneer frame.

Sampler size: 15" x 14" Price: $1850.

M. Finkel~ Daughter.

AMERICA's LEA DING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Mary Matilda Bringhurst, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 1815 The History of the Bringhurst Family, a private genealogical volume printed in 1901 in Philadelphia, indicates that the Bringhurst family in America began with Thomas Bringhurst, a chirurgeon (physician and surgeon) who emigrated from London about 1700 and settled in Germantown, just north of Philadelphia. By the end of the 18th century some family members had moved to the town of Trappe, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania where Mary Matilda Bringhurst was born on November 21, 1801, the last of the seven children of Israel and Mary (Morris) Bringhurst. On January 11, 1829 she married Frances Hobson, a prominent citizen and large landowner. Their two children, Frank and Sarah were born in 1829 and 1831 and Mary died in 1834.

Mary's sampler, worked in 1815, is a fine and classic example of a Quaker influenced marking sampler from the Philadelphia region. It bears resemblance to samplers worked at the North School in Philadelphia, which feature black alphabets, simple borders and strong graphics (see figure 63 in A Gallery of American Samplers by Glee Krueger). Worked in silk onto unbleached linen, the sampler is in excellent condition with one small area of loss, conservation mounted into a 19th century painted frame.

Sampler size: 15 W' x 9" Price: $2250.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M. Finkel~ Daughter.

27

28

Louisa Lumbard, England, 1835 This sampler well represents classic English design, worked in a balanced format with its handsome castle set upon a checkerboard lawn. The placement of the verse indicates that the samplermaker did not quite have her spacing down and the last word of the three lines needed to be inserted into the space above. Indeed her inscription is charmingly divided into its two lines, "Louisa Lumbard/ 's work 1835".

This sampler was worked in silk on wool and it is in excellent condition in a painted black frame with beaded liner.

Sampler size: 13 W' x 12 %" Price: $1650.

Jane Blacklock, age 8, British Isles, circa 1825 Jane Blacklock worked a crisp and visually appealing sampler showcasing her aptitude as a needleworker even at a very young age; the detailed treatment of her neatly worked bird, butterflies, crowns and pots of flowers is impressive. Jane included a typical cautionary verse, which she stitched with letter-perfect precision, and the little geometric design which appears at the end of the first line of verse is so extremely delicate that one could overlook this needlework altogether.

The sampler is worked in silk on linen, is in excellent condition and in a 19th century flat oak frame with a gilt liner.

Sampler size: 16 3ft X 13 1/2'' Price: $1450.

Sarah Hull Holding, Greenwich, England, 1843 ¡ In 1843 Sarah Hull Holding from Greenwich, England worked this appealing small-size sampler which effectively combines alphabets and examples of pictorial motifs. The large polychromed parrot is a classic needlework design, which frequently appears on English as well as American samplers (specifically from Newburyport, Massachussetts in the late 18th century). The butterfly, other birds and flowers complete the delightful pictorial format. Worked in silk on wool with some tiny areas of loss and a small area at the lower right where the color has run, it is mounted into a period maple veneer frame.

Sampler size: 12 3ft x 7 W' Price: $1850.

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

29

Paula Vega, Spanish sampler, 1825 In 1998 the Hispanic Society of America in New York held an exhibition entitled "Learning the Art of Embroidery: Nineteenth Century Spanish Samplers" and the result was impressive in both breath and depth. From the earliest sampler in their collection, worked in 1834, to the later examples, the vivid coloration and highly decorative designs and borders typify antique Spanish samplermaking.

Spanish samplers are not easily found and we were quite pleased to have purchased this stellar example, which had been in an English collection for many years. A translation of the inscription is as follows: "Made by Paula Vega, student of Mrs. Donna Marie Victoria Martinez, in the year 1825". The sampler is comprised of solidly worked cross-stitches of very small scale, providing a fine overall texture, and the inscription is worked so that it would be read in all directions, typical of the design of many Spanish samplers. It is in excellent condition, worked silk into linen and conservation mounted into a beveled black painted frame with black bead.

Sampler size: 10 114'' x 12"

Price: $3400.

Elizabeth R. Greenawalt, Pennsylvania, 1824 Schoolgirls would occasionally be assigned the extremely difficult and unforgiving task of working their needle and silk threads into paper. This example, depicting a spray of roses, is signed in pen and ink "Miss Elizabeth R. Greenawalt 1824" and was worked in fine detail, from the thorny stems to the delicate rose bud and two-color leaves. It is in its original mahogany corner-block frame and presents a fine and rare example of this genre.

Sampler size: 6 3/4'' x 6 IN' Price: $1200.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M. Finkel~ Daughter.

30

Emily Needham, Danvers, Essex Co., Massachusetts, 1832 This charming sampler includes one of the most desirable verses to be found schoolgirl samplers: "Tis education forms the common mind/ Just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined" taken from Alexander Pope's "Moral Essays" (epistle I, line 149). Emily Needham was born August 28, 1822 to John and Tharza (Newhall) Needham and worked this sampler at "aged 10 years, August 1832". She married Joseph Mansfield on October 13, 184 7 and their children were born in the nearby town of Lynnfield.

Her neatly worked sampler was no doubt an early effort but her competence in this project indicates that Emily would have gone into work samplers of greater complexity. This sampler was worked in silk onto linen; it is in excellent condition in a 19th century black beveled painted frame.

Sampler size: 12" x 8" Price: $1200.

Pair of Miniature Samplers, Westmeon, England, 1801 It is unusual for two samplers which were worked by separate samplermakers to have remained together

for almost two hundred years, and we are quite pleased to offer this pair. Westmeon is a small village in Hampshire, which is in the south of England, just east of the town of Winchester and the samplermakers, Louisa Nash and Lavinia Steel must have been classmates at the school in this village. Lavinia's sampler offers a stunning Gothic alphabet while Louisa worked a classic, religious verse. The samplermakers each used silk onto a sheer wool through which the "tails" (the silk threads which connect the end of one letter or word to the beginning of the next) can be seen. These are worked in silk on wool; each is in excellent condition and conservation mounted into a molded oak frame.

Sampler sizes: Lavinia Steel- 6" x 5 1/ / ', Price for the two: $1600.

Louisa Nash-5 3/ / ' x 5 3/ / '

./K~

:!?oo tp~ uaw.e \sll)ve . . t ~atbets pa·ab h t)\nt Wu tea:rf'i.Ll e~e J look abo \re .Jbu·~ eq ~p~ uti 1~t m' e JnJ Ill ll \s 1o•te t)ft ue tu.v 1s blest ~4ll

tU(Irh

for

Of

\S4 ~ ~hlet"O.

1101

M.Finkel eJ Daughter.

AMERICA ' s LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Frances Brazher, England, 1810 Frances Brazher was christened at Holborn, Saint Andrew in London on January 17, 1802, the daughter of Richard and Sarah Brazher and, when she was only eight years old worked this wonderfully embellished sampler. The central "Hymn" is enclosed within architectural columns with a pair of handsome lions standing guard. The word "Hallelujah" was worked at its base and the animated scene along the bottom includes a wonderful miniature horseback rider and a spotted deer, with a small chapel and various potted plants under a flock of flying birds. The border is quite unusual with branches of berries and clover leaves. This sampler is worked in silk on wool, it is in overall good condition with some very minor loss to the wool field, and conservation mounted into a 19th century molded grain painted frame with a gilt liner.

Sampler size: 15 W' x 12" Price: $2850.

AMERICA ' s LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M. Finkel~ 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-bystep 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.

0

Carefully clean the piece using our special vacuum process.

0

Mount it by means of hand-sewing onto acid-free museum board which has been slip-cased with fabric appropriate to the piece itself, at the same time stabilizing any 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 correct antique manner.

0

When necessary, install True VueÂŽConservation Clear glass which blocks 97% of the harmful ultra-violet light.

0

In the framing process, the sampler or needlework is properly spaced away from the glass, the wooden frame is sealed, and the back is attached with special archival tape.

M. Finkel~ Daughter.

AMERICA ' s

LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

SELECTED NEEDLEWORK BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, Gloria Seaman. Family Record Genealogical Watercolors and Needlework.

Washington, DC: DAR Museum, 1989.

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

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

Brooke, Xanthe. Catalogue of Embroideries.

The Lady Lever Art Callery. Alan Sutton Publishing Inc., 1992 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 Work 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 Germans.

Birdsboro, PA: Pennsylvania German Society, 1991 Humphrey, Carol. Samplers, Fitzwilliam Museum Handbooks.

Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1997.

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

Colonial Williamsburg and Curious Works Press, 1997 Krueger, Glee FA 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. 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.

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER