Samplings: XXIV by M. Finkel & Daughter

VOLUME XXIV

Sam~lin

A SELECTED OFFERING OF ANTIQUE SAMPLERS AND NEEDLEWORK

est. 1947

M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AMERICA'S LEAD! G ANTIQUE SAMPLER & NEEDLEWORK DEALER

936 Pine Street. Philadelphia. Pennsylvania. 19107-6128 215-627-7797. 800-598-7432. fax 215-627-8199 www.samplings.com

Please visit our website: www.samplings.com

detail of needlework picture by Julia Ann Niver, Crawford, N.Y., c. 1835, page 19

Copyright ÂŠ 2003 by M Finkel & Daughter, Inc All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without the permission in writing from M Finkel & Daughter, Inc Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Welcome to our Samplings catalogue XXIV ... We hope that you enjoy this catalogue, which is our 24th issue; we thank all of you for your continued and growing interest in this field. The field of schoolgirl samplers and needlework provides fascinating opportunities for collectors. A sampler acts as a window into the specific history of a young girl, her family, a teacher, a town, a regio n and a tradition, and as such provides us with unusual insight. It goes without saying that samplers, from a simple marking piece to an elaborate scene, are also extremely visually appealing. They provide graphic needleworked pictures, each with a remarkable texture and individuality. Each of our samplers has been fully researched and documented; it is well-known that we both conduct ourselves and have others engage in intensive genealogical research and often achieve important results. When we describe a sampler or silk embroidery, we frequently refer to a number of fine books that have been written in this field. A selected bibliography is included at the end of the catalogue and is updated regularly. If any of these books prove difficult to procure, let us know and perhaps we can assist in locating them. We also include a description page about our conservation methods and encourage you to call us with any questions in this area. This year marks the 57th anniversary of the founding of our firm. We continue to value our positive relationship with clients, many of whom are now second generation, and strive to maintain our commitment to customer service. Buying antiques should be based in large measure on trust and confidence, and we try to treat each customer as we ourselves like to be treated. We operate by appointment and are at the shop five days a week, except when we are exhibiting at out-of-town antique shows. Please let us know of your plans to visit us. We suggest that you contact us in a timely fashion if one or more of our samplers is of interest to you. Should your choice be unavailable, we suggest that you 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 may be able to 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 UPSWW. We look forward to your phone calls and your interest. www.samplings.com Please check our website for frequent updates

Amy Finkel Morris Finkel Mary Mills mailbox@samplings.com 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.

AMERI CA's L EADI NG sAM PL ER AN D N EEDL Ew o RK D EAL E R

M. Finkel ~ Daughter.

ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF CONTENTS Betsey Maria Ayer, St. Johnsbury, Vermont, 1835 .................................................................................................... page 7 Sarah Ann Breitenbaugh, Frederick, Maryland, 1825 ............................................................................................ page 15 Hannah Bishop, America, 1786 ............................................................................................................................................page 22 Kezia Burrough, Westtown School, Chester Co., Pennsylvania, 1810 ......................................................... page 3 Ann of Cleves portrait, England, circa 1890 .................................................................................................................page 26 Collet Fiche Embroidery, France, late 18th century ............................................................................................... page 8 Cupid and Psyche, silk embroidery, Boston, circa 1800 ........................................................................................ page 31 Dutch Motif Sampler, Amsterdam, 1768 ......................................................................................................................... page 28 Margaret Featherston, England, circa 1780 .................................................................................................................. page 11 Mary Gatchell, Mountmelick Quaker School, Ireland, 1804 .............................................................................. page 24 Gentleman's Pocketbook, America, 1777 ........................................................................................................................ page 21 Mary Gill, Wilmington Boarding School, Delaware, 1814.................................................................................... page 12 Mary Hardmeat, England, 1716 ............................................................................................................................................ page 27 Elizabeth Harston, England, 1798 ...................................................................................................................................... page 4 Marie Iversen, Darning Sampler, Norway, 1821 .......................................................................................................... page 20 Susan B. Jackman, Rowley, Massachusetts, 1820 ......................................................................................................page 2 Abigail Adams Janvrin, Exeter, New Hampshire, 1835 .......................................................................................... page 8 Huldah Angeline Kent, Vermillion, Illinois, circa 1835 ......................................................................................... page 6 Charlotte Landen, America, 1823 ........................................................................................................................................ page 11 Susanna Magarge, Bristol School, Pennsylvania, 1827.......................................................................................... page 18 Sarah D. Manahan, New England, 1830 .......................................................................................................................... page 7 Lydia McClure, Philadelphia, 1808 ..................................................................................................................................... page 10 Miniature motif sampler, England, circa 1820 ............................................................................................................ page 20 National Female Model School, Dublin, Ireland, circa 1820 ............................................................................. page 4 Julia Ann Niver, Crawford, Orange Co., New York, circa 1835 ......................................................................... page 19 Sally Pearce Olney, Mary Balch School, Providence, RI, 1786. ..........................................................................page 1 Pinkeep Sampler, England, circa 1840 ............................................................................................................................ page 30 Mary Plater, Band Sampler, England, 1668 .................................................................................................................. page 13 R. A. Powell, probably Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1839 ..................................................................................... page 17 Margaret Riddan, Marblehead, Massachusetts, 1767 ............................................................................................... page 5 Sampler Bag, Diocesan Institution, Derby, England, 1860 ................................................................................. page 26 Caroline Scarborough, Buckingham, Bucks Co., Pennsylvania, 1847 .......................................................... page 23 Anna E. Shelly, Pennsylvania, 1832 ...................................................................................................................................page 23 Elizabeth R. Taylor, New England, 1819 ........................................................................................................................ page 22 Phebe Toffey, New York, 1800 ................................................................................................................................................ page 14 Elizabeth Turner, England, 1819 ......................................................................................................................................... page 16 Zoe Van Antwerp, Ursuline Convent, New York, 1856 ........................................................................................... page 30 Ann G. Walpole, silk embroidery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,1822 ............................................................. page 9 Ann M. Way, Chester Co., Pennsylvania, 1849 ............................................................................................................ page 29 Harriet Wheadon, New Haven, Connecticut, 1827....................................................................................................page 25

M. Finkel eJ Daughter. AI\I ERi cA's LEAD!

c sAl\IPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALE R

Sally Pearce Olney, Mary Balch School, Providence, Rhode Island, 1786 It may be impossible to overesti-

mate the importance to the field of American needlework of the immensely appealing pictorial samplers worked under the tutelage of Mary Balch of Pro\'idence, Rhode Island. Since the early part of the 20th century, thi body of work has been familiar to cholars and sought after by curators and collectors. It was the groundbreaking 1983 exhibition at The Rhode Island Historical ociety, Let Virtue Be a Guide To Thee: Needlework in the Education of Rhode Island 1730 - 1830, along with the accompanying historic book by Betty Ring, that both allowed for a true understanding of these magnificent samplers and established their importance. The earliest known Balch School sampler dates from 1785, with fine examples made in the late 1780s through the late 1790s. It is an honor to offer this splendid Balch School sampler made by Sarah Pearce Olney in 1786, an early and previously undiscovered work and one of the most visually compelling and strongly colored of all known from this school. Sally Pearce Olney states on her sampler that she was born November 4, 1775. The Olney family is a prominent one that traces its ancestry to Thomas Olney who settled in Providence with his wife in 1635. Subsequent generations provided Rhode Island with many successful and illustrious individuals. A family history published in 1889 documents many family members but provides greater detail regarding the male Olneys than the females. The composition of this sampler is centered around a crisp rendering of the Providence State House with its handsome clock tower. According to Betty Ring, writing about Balch School samplers in Girlhood Embroidery, vol. I, "Most extraordinary are those with recognizable renditions of important Providence buildings," and indeed the presence of this beautifully proportioned building contributes greatly to the sampler. In the style that characterizes the school and accounts for the reputation of its samplers, many figures in period costumes, animals, birds, potted plants and fruiting trees further decorate the piece. Small scenes, such as that of the Sacrifice of Isaac, which appears at the upper left, complete with the ram hiding in nearby foliage, provide further interest. Lavish embellishment appears throughout and includes metallic threads couched to decorate costume. Whimsical details such as the large squirrel perched in a tree and the large black bird pecking at a gentleman's hat must have provided amusement for the eleven-year-old samplermaker. The needlework is extraordinary throughout and we can assume that its maker took pride in it as a demonstration of her praiseworthy skills. Worked in silk and metallic thread on linen, the sampler has been conservation mounted into a black and gold leaf frame with conservation glass. Sampler size: 16" x 15W'

Price upon request.

AME Ri cA's L EADI NG sAM PL ER AN D NEE DL EwoRK D EAL ER

M. Finkei6S Daughter.

Susan B. Jackman, Rowley, Massachusetts, 1820

The maker of this finely worked and beautifully colored sampler, Susan B. Jackman states on it that she was born April 27th 1809; genealogical research attests to the fact that she was born and lived in the Essex County town of Rowley, which is about 30 miles north of Boston. The vital records of this town confirm that Susan was the daughter of Paul and Sarah (Burbank) Jackman and in 1834 she married a farmer, Moody Cheney also of Rowley. They became the parents of two children, Augustus and Sarah and the family resided in Georgetown, a small area which had originally been a part of Rowley and comprised its western half. The sampler features a scene of graceful trees and a hilly lawn with a fine basket of flowers at the center. An assortment of stitches depict various renditions of the alphabets and a two-line verse expressing good wishes. The eleven-year-old maker of this sampler was clearly adept in the needle arts. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a molded cherry frame. Sampler size: 15" x 12"

Price: $5300.

M. Finkel as Daughter. AI\ !ER ICA'S LEAD I

G SAI\ IPLER AND

EEDLEWORK DEALER

Kezia Burrough, Westtown School, Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1810 ·es town School, ·oun ed as a Quaker chool in till thrivi (S o ay, i extremely well re6ar ed for the uaJity of the nee lework prou ed by its early - udents who were \·orking under the irection of obvious!; talented and emanding teachers. Female students followed practically the same curriculum as male students with the addition of needlework, which was taught for two veeks of a six-week period. After "plain ewing" (marking and darning) girls went on to more intricate designs including a sampler such as this geometric medallion and motif piece. The maker signed her work inside a classic Quaker center cartouche with her initials, the year and the name of the school. "Weston" was used interchangeably with "Westtown" from the school's inception until late in the 1860s when the latter pelling was made official. Far fewer medallion and motif samplers were made than were alphabet or extract samplers and these become available only infrequently; it is with pleasure that we offer this excellent example. The samplermaker was a Quaker girl, Kezia Burrough, who was born July 20, 1794, the eldest of six children of Joseph Burrough, Jr. and Martha Davis of the Haddonfield Monthly Meeting in New Jersey. According to the Westtown School Archives, she entered the school at age 14 in 1808 from the town of Westfield, New Jersey and attended through 1810. There are approximately 34 sets of initials (some worked upside down) on the sampler that are presumed to be those of fellow students at the school. Kezia married Benjamin M. Haines at the Haddonfield Monthly Meeting in 1817, and they had three children, in Camden and Burlington Counties. The sampler descended to their daughter, Elizabeth M. Haines who signed the backboard, "E.M. Haines 1864." The sampler was worked predominantly in green silk, a variation from the blue which is found more frequently. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into its original mahogany veneer and beaded frame. Sampler size: 11" x 12"

Price: $7800.

AM ERi cA's LEADING sAMPL ER AND NEEDLEw o RK D EAL ER

M. Finkel ~ Daughter.

Elizabeth Harston, England, 1798 This winning little sampler distinguishes itself in several ways: quality of needlework, composition, proportion, and rich coloration are all beyond the norm. Central to its imagery is an endearing songbird with a spotted tail perched on a branch and centered in an octagon, flanked by delightful flower baskets. The verse is a stanza from the Collection of Hymns by Rev. John Wesley (1703 -1791 ), a fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford. All of the lettering and inscriptions were carefully spaced to achieve balance; note that the samplermaker abbreviated her first name to bring this about. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into its original frame. Sampler size: 6W' x 8W'

Price: $3900.

National Female Model School, Dublin, Ireland, circa 1820 We occasionally find miniature samplers identified only by the name of the school attended. These were often worked as final projects and evidence of accomplishment by their makers. Young ladies attending the National Female Model School, and others of its type, were trained to become teachers and planned to rely on their miniature samplers to remind them of their skills. The National Female Model School was located on Kildare Place in Dublin and an 1817 sampler worked there is in the collection of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. The example that we offer here+ has an illustrious provenance in that it was for many years in the personal collection of Cora Ginsburg, one of this country's most distinguished dealers and collectors of early needlework. Worked in silk on wool, it is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into an early black painted and molded frame. Sampler size: 6W' x 4W'

Price: $2400.

M. Finkel ~ Daughter. Ai\I ERr cAÂˇs L EAD ING sM IPLER A.'\D :\EEDLEwoR - oE .-\LER

Margaret Riddan, Marblehead, Massachusetts, 1767 While more than a few colonial American samplers were made, these early examples have become increasingly difficult to find. Margaret Riddan worked this excellent band sampler which she inscribed with her date of birth, "Margaret Riddan was born September the 16 Day in the Year 1752" and with the date of its completion, "February the 3 1767." Marblehead was and is one of the most delightful of all coastal New England towns. Settled in 1633 it was lively and prosperous throughout the 18th century with a strong tradition for producing pictorial samplers and needlework of outstanding quality from the 1780s into the early 19th century. The Riddan family in America began with Thaddeus Riddan who emigrated from England and settled in Marblehead where he died in 1690. His great-great granddaughter Margaret was the daughter of Benjamin Riddan and Martha Harmson, baptized there on October 15, 1752. She worked her sampler at age 17 and in 1786 married a seaman, James Ramsdell, also of Marblehead; they had a daughter Nancy, born in Marblehead in 1790. The research on this sampler includes copies of vital records as well as compiled family Bible records from the New England Historical Genealogical Society. Margaret included many carefully worked rows of letters, numbers, bands and a two line verse: "The present time see that thou take I Thy peace with God in Christ to make." The decorative band above the inscription is evocative of English sampler design, which, of course, would be expected at this early date. The addition of the little pair of birds is a particularly charming note. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition; it has been conservation mounted into a black molded and painted frame with conservation glass. Sampler size: 16Y4" x 7Y4"

Price: $5800.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER

M. Finkel & Daughter.

Huldah Angeline Kent, Vermillion, Illinois, circa 1835 Samplers made west of Ohio are exceedingly rare and their histories tell us much about the lives of their makers and the stories of these pioneer families. This large and carefully made sampler is accompanied by a wealth of information about the Kent family, which was amongst the earliest settlers in the town of Vermillion, in LaSalle County, located between Chicago and Peoria. This county was first populated by white men in 1823 when a few pioneers moved to the lands of the Kickapoo, Winnebago and Illinois tribes; The History of LaSalle County, Illinois, written in 1877, tells of only 15 white men in the county by 1827. A small settlement was founded on the banks of the Vermillion River, taking advantage of the fine tract of trees and fertile ground and by the early 1830s the town was populated by a few dozen families from New England, New York State and Ohio. Leslie Kent and his wife, Huldah Harmon, were each born in Conway, Massachusetts. Along with many other Americans, the Kents were likely responding to the prospect of land and adventure when they moved westward, settling, in their case, in 1833 in the tiny town of Vermillion which was soon to be populated with farmers, millwrights, carpenters, doctors, teachers and abolitionists. Their daughter Huldah had been born on February 1, 1820 and would have worked her sampler when she was approximately 15 years of age, including on it the requisite alphabets and a two-line rhyming aphorism reflecting, in part, the value of education for young ladies. Her inscription, "Worked in Illinois," indicates specific pride in her new home state. The fact that a sampler would have been worked in what must have been a very rudimentary and difficult environment speaks volumes as to the importance of samplers in the lives and education of early 19th century American girls. In 1837, at age 17, Huldah (who also went by her middle name of Angeline) married Edward R. Williams of the nearby settlement of Deer Park. He had been born and raised in New England, was educated at West Point and served as a lieutenant in the US Army for 5 years before removing to LaSalle County, Illinois. They became the parents of ten children who were born between 1838 and 1858 and Huldah died in LaSalle County in 1899. This sampler, with its strength and simplicity, stands as an excellent example of Illinois needlework. It remains in excellent condition and was worked in silk on linen, conservation mounted into a beveled cherry frame with a maple bead frame with conservation glass. Sampler size: 17" x 17\lz''

Price: $6200.

M. Finkei6S Daughter. Ai\ IERi cAÂˇs L EADI NG sAMPLER AND NEED L Ew o RK D EALER

Sarah D. Manahan, New England, 1830 Eleven-year-old Sarah D. Manahan worked this charming sampler on which she depicted a scene of two fine satin-stitched houses set amongst a row of evergreen trees. The verse chosen and precisely worked by Sarah is a classic schoolgirl poem, which looks to the years after "youth's soft season" and speaks to this sampler as "proof of infant industry." The design and technique used to accomplish these two houses leads us to believe that the sampler was made in Hillsboro County, New Hampshire, the origin of other fine samplers of a very similar nature. Surrounded by a handsome Greek key border, it is in excellent condition and was worked in silk on linen. Conservation mounted, it is in a figured maple frame. Sampler size: 16W' x ll W'

Price: $4250.

Betsey Maria Ayer, St. Johnsbury, Vermont, 1835 Vermont samplers exist in far fewer numbers than those from New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts; indeed, documented Vermont samplers are considered a rarity in the marketplace. This is a handsome sampler that was somewhat whimsically signed, "The Property of Betsey Maria Ayer wrought by herself in the 12th year of her age in A.D 1835 St. Johnsbury Vt." The town of St. Johnsbury is in the northern part of the state in Caledonia County and was home to Hiram and Experience (Leach) Ayer. Their daughter Betsey Maria was born there in 1823 and it is likely that research conducted in that area will reveal further details. This sampler was probably her first and is a good example of a marking sampler, the type of samplers that taught most girls to stitch their alphabets and numbers so that they could later mark their household linens with initials and inventory numbers. Worked in silk on linen, it is excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a beveled maple frame. Sampler size: 8" x 17W'

Price: $2850.

AMERICA's LEAD INc sAl'viPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER

M. Finkel & Daughter.

Collet Fiche Embroidery, France, late 18th century Collet fiche is a form of needlework that originated in France at the end of the 18th century in convents of the Ursuline nuns. This technique involves embroidery and watercolor on paper and is double sided, with the reverse of these pieces finished in the same manner as the front. The subject matter is always religious in nature, as is the case with this fine allegorical example, which depicts an angel pointing the way of the righteous. The long stitches of lustrous silk were combined with the application of watercolor to achieve the desired effect. The reverse is, of course, the opposite but identical image, with its strong original color (see the inside back cover of this catalogue for a photo of the reverse side). It is in its original frame, now matted and

framed with glass on both sides. The condition of the needlework, watercolor and paper is excellent. Sight size: 8" x 5W'

Price: $2850.

Abigail Adams Janvrin, Exeter, New Hampshire, 1835 Exeter is a fine and prosperous town in New Hampshire, 14 miles southwest of Portsmouth on the Exeter River. We have known of other samplers worked in this town and must conclude that a skilled and experienced instructress was teaching needlework there in the 1820s and 30s. This is a very good example, worked by elevenyear-old Abigail Adams Janvrin and dated 1835. While it may seem as if this samplermaker was related to the famous and highly esteemed Abigail Adams, it is actually more likely the case that Mrs. Adams was a namesake, a very common and patriotic practice in the early years of this country. The sampler presents an attractive combination of alphabets, borders, baskets and decorative bands along with a tightly worked rendition of the verse that was the single most popular to appear on early 19th century samplers. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition with its original needle and thread still with it (see the left border, five rows down). It has been conservation mounted into a beveled maple frame. Sampler size: 15W' x 9%''

Price: $3800.

M. Finkel e:J Daughter. A!vi ERi cAÂˇs LEAD ING sA MPL ER AN D NEED L EWO RK DEAL E R

Ann G. Walpole, Philadelphia, 1822

The maker of this outstanding silk embroidered picture was Ann G. Walpole, who was 22 years old and quite evidently a well-schooled and talented young lady. She was born in 1800 in Fayette County, Pennsylvania to Luke and Margaret (Gillespie) Walpole and the family may have been living in Philadelphia in the early 1820s or, as was often the case, Ann may have been sent to boarding school in Philadelphia to continue her education; the inscription on the reverse painted glass mat reads, "Ann G. Walpole, Philadelphia. 1822." Specific characteristics strongly resemble other pieces that were accomplished at the Folwell School in Philadelphia and Ann may have attended this highly regarded school. Her large and impressive silk embroidery is an illustration from Greek mythology, depicting a young, sleeping warrior and his female admirer. Details such as her delicate blue sandals, the garland of flowers, the lavish metallic embroidery on his costume, the gold leaf of his helmet and the lush foliage combine to contribute a richness and strength to the scene. Ann was married in 1823 to Obed Foote, a lawyer who was born in 1787 in Gill, Franklin County, in Massachusetts. Ann and Obed removed to Indianapolis and their son Obed Foote was born in April of 1824; Ann died several months later. The silk embroidery is in excellent condition with its original eglomise reverse paint mat and its original figured maple frame. Size of the embroidery: 17" x 16"

Framed size: 23 314'' square

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Price: $24,000.

M. Finkel as Daughter.

Lydia McClure, Philadelphia, 1808

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, there developed amongst needlework teachers and their students in Philadelphia a tradition of including a wonderful depiction of a specific lady and gentleman on their samplers. The male figure consistently sports a double-breasted jacket, black boots and a tall plumed hat while the lady wears a trailing Empire gown and her own version of a plumed hat. In Betty Ring's Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. II, within the section entitled "Philadelphia Samplers of the Federal Period," an 1814 sampler with a very similar couple is featured (see figure 394). Our sampler worked in 1808 by Lydia Mclure is a recent discovery and addition to this highly sought after group of samplers. Other regional Philadelphia characteristics that are exhibited on this sampler are the beautifully designed tulip and carnation border and the pair of notched pine trees, while features such as the dogs, birds, basket, potted flowers and central apple tree are more specific to this sampler. It was likely that Lydia's youth or inexperience in stitching inscriptions is the explanation for the na'ive execution of the verse on her sampler. It reads as follows:

Love the Lord and he will be A tender father unto thee He will guide thee all thy ways He will bless thee all thy days. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in very good condition with some wear and loss to the linen; it has been conservation mounted into a black and gold leaf molded frame. Sampler size: 16W' x 15lfz'' Price: $7800.

M. Finkel 6J Daughter. AM ERI CA's L EADI NG sM IPL ER AND NEED L EwoRK DEA L ER

Charlotte Landen, America, 1823 This is an attractive and somewhat unusual little sampler, which is dominated by an abundant and precisely arranged pyramid of fruit in a diamond-patterned basket. A pair of unmatched pine trees provide a further note of individuality and it is all surrounded by a tightly worked border. Charlotte included the initials, B.A.D., which may have been those of her teacher. The needlework was very well executed with fine and even stitches throughout. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a 19th century veneer frame. Sampler size: 8W' square

Price: $3200.

Margaret Featherston, England, circa 1780 The design of most English samplers is distinguished by the presence of a symmetry and, frequently, a formality that can render a sampler somewhat stilted and formulaic. This most appealing piece is unusual because of its free-form nature with fluid lines of embroidery depicting a boldly designed flower arrangement springing enthusiastically from a checkerboard vase, along with a pair of leafy sprigs. The embroidery includes a variety of stitches that were used to best advantage in the delineation of flowers, berries and vines; the use of richly colored lustrous silk plays well against the tan linen. The maker was Margaret Featherston and she included what must have been the initials of family members along the top line: "IF FF TF IE IOE." Her own initials are included in a geometric diamond design just under the vase, flanked by similar stars and crowns. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in very good condition with slight loss to some of the silk. It has been conservation mounted into a black painted and molded frame with conservation glass. Sampler size: 14W' x 8Yt'' Price: $3450.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M. Finkel as Daughter.

Mary Gill, Wilmington Boarding School, Delaware, 1814 The highly regarded Wilmington Boarding School opened on April 1, 1811 and thanks to needlework scholars Betty Ring and Susan B. Swan much information about the early years of the school, and the samplers produced there, has been made available. In Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. II, "Needlework of Delaware," Mrs. Ring published the Prospectus of the Wilmington Boarding School (figure 545), in which it is stated that "The Subscribers . .. have concluded to open a Boarding School for girls within the Borough of Wilmington," and that "a proper attention will also be paid to instruct girls in plain Needlework." A small number of distinctive darning samplers are known to have been worked at the school between 1814 and 1820 and these samplers closely resemble the white work darning samplers of the Westtown School, a Quaker school in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Wilmington Boarding School samplers are in the collections of Winterthur Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mary Gill, a young lady from a distinguished southern New Jersey family, attended the school in 1814 where she produced this fine darning sampler. The sampler descended in her family for many years and in 1921 was illustrated in American Samplers by Bolton & Coe as plate LXIX, the only Wilmington Boarding School sampler to be included in this groundbreaking publication. Mary Gill was born on April 21, 1798 to Mathew and Phebe (Clark) Gill of Clarksboro, New Jersey. Her mother was a granddaughter of Jeffrey Clark, founder of Clarksboro and her father, a prominent resident of the town, owned the general store there as early as 1775. In 1821 Mary married Joseph Reeves and, upon his death, John Jessup, a farmer. She died at age 85, having lived her life in Clarksboro. Many family papers, including wills and inventories, are in the collection of the Gloucester County Historical Society along with a wonderful photographic portrait of the samplermaker circa 1870. A thick file of family information accompanies this sampler. The sampler was worked in silk and cotton on linen and remains in very good condition. It has been conservation mounted into a black painted frame. Sampler size: 10" square

Price: $14,500.

M. Finkel fj Daughter. AME RI CA's L EA DI NG sAJ'viPLE R AND N E ED LEwo RK DEALE R

Mary Plater, England, 1668 In her book entitled Samplers: Five Centuries of a Gentle Craft, Anne Sebba writes the following: "The seventeenth century produced some of the most beautiful samplers ever made, particularly in England. There were several different types, and many were still worked as reference and not intended for show. But almost all of them displayed exquisitely fine and varied stitchery combined with sophisticated designs and color schemes; they were executed with an eye for detail, neatness and perfection. The period is often referred to as the golden age of samplermaking." This fine band sampler was worked by Mary Plater in 1668 and it is an excellent example from this body of work. It features fully 25 different bands of design as well as alphabets, with the samplermaker's name worked in white silk along the lowermost portion of the sampler. Many traditional patterns and motifs were incorporated into the bands, with classic stylization of flowers, buds and acorns. The needlework was accomplished in a wide vocabulary of stitches including the double running stitch and the detached buttonhole stitch. Mary Plater and her teacher infused the sampler with a great delicacy in design, execution and palette. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a black painted and molded frame with a gold leaf liner and conservation glass. Sampler size: 34W' x 814''

Price: $7250.

(detail)

AME RI CA's LEAD ING sA!YIP L ER AN D NEE D LEwo RK DEALE R

M. Finkel ~ Daughter.

Phebe Toffey, New York, 1800

One of the most interesting groups of American samplers was worked in New York over a period of almost 50 years and these samplers generally feature Adam and Eve under a serpent-wrapped tree. That this image rarely appears on American samplers renders these pieces that much more appealing. In Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. II, Betty Ring refers to this group as the "Biblical Samplers of Colonial and Federal New York," and observes that the most enduring composition includes Adam and Eve dressed in skirts that best resemble tutus, with Eve's arm upraised. Phebe Toffey's sampler is an engaging example in which this Biblical image combines with customary sampler designs such as a house, dogs and birds. The deeply arcaded border, another characteristic of this group, is wonderfully decorated with an assortment of large-blossom flowers, providing a handsome framework for this fine sampler. The carefully worked inscription reads," Phebe Toffey Her Work July the 31 1800," and research continues that should lead to identification of this young lady. The Toffey family was living in New York City and Dutchess County from the mid 18th century forth. The Toffey family graveyard still exist near Mizzentop, in the southeast corner of Dutchess County. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition and it has been conservation mounted into a beveled cherry frame with conservation glass. Sampler size: 1412'' x 11 %"

Price: $5800.

Sarah Ann Breitenbaugh, Frederick, Maryland, 1825 This large and handsome sampler, dated June 23, 1825, was worked by Sarah Ann Breitenbaugh and is an important example from Frederick, Maryland, closely related to a very similar piece in the collection of the Allentown Art Museum. These two samplers indicate the presence of a teacherwith substantial skills who was instructing young ladies in this town, which is located in the western part of the state. Samplers worked in Maryland are far more scarce than those from Pennsylvania and further north. A study documenting Maryland samplers is currently underway and will include information on these two Frederick samplers. The sampler belonging to the Allentown Art Museum was worked by Mary Ann Catherine Late in 1824 in Frederick and was published as figure 12 in The Ladies Work Table: Domestic Needlework in the Nineteenth Century,by Margaret Vincent, a publication documenting the museum's collection, by Margaret Vincent. Both samplers feature the same composition, borders, house, trees and terraced lawn, baskets of flowers and horizontal band. Their brick houses were each formed by an unusual technique involving an overstitch to form the bricks of the house and chimneys. Beautifully worked queen's-stitch strawberries decorate the borders and others appear as spot motifs within the body of the sampler. Both samplermakers made use of stepped-terrace lawns and included a charming little outbuilding at lower left. Sarah added a folky bird in the tree and solidly stitched her lawn in two shades of green. Sarah Ann Breitenbaugh was born October 14, 1808, the daughter of Martin and Hannah Breitenbaugh who were married in 1804. The family had ties to Harpers Ferry, Virginia; Hagerstown, Maryland and Frederick, Maryland and is mentioned in an important journal, The Diary of Jacob Englebrect 1818-1878, which documents the births and marriages of several family members. Sarah, her parents and her many siblings all later removed to Missouri where their marriages and deaths were recorded in a family bible. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a curly maple and cherry corner block frame with conservation glass. (detail)

Sampler size: 21W' x 20Yt"

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Price: $12,500.

M. Finkel as Daughter.

Elizabeth Turner, England, 1819

We were quite pleased to have had the opportunity to acquire this exceptional oval sampler with its na"ive little cottage scene and splendid naturalistic floral border. Samplers worked in an oval format are decidedly more difficult to work than standard rectangular ones and were generally undertaken by highly accomplished students of needlework. The maker of this sampler, Elizabeth Turner, was only eight years old when she ...... ~>-·-· while-to my _l<!eso11s With ctH" I ulend~ completed this, rendering it ~·~i>.\nd stOTt! up the knowJ,_.~t' 1 -rai~ that much more impressive. '~N hen 1h t!' wmt~r of lgt' •lull uro" mt"1iescend-':>OThe alphabets, horizontal lfwdl d~1f thf'" d-ark SMSOll 0~11llll -.."«:...">e'<"""-"""~ bands of design and precisely worked verse fill the center of the sampler nicely and the inscription is contained within an unusual framework, flanked by pine trees and birds in flight. Overall the sampler has much to recommend itself. (detail) Worked in silk on wool, it is in very good condition with minor loss to the wool, conservation mounted into a gold leaf frame. Sampler size: 14W' x 12W'

Price: $11,500.

M. Finkel e:s Daughter. AME RI CA's LEADING sAl\IP LE R AND NEEDLEWO R K DEA LER

R.A. Powell, probably Philadelphia, 1839 An education in the needle arts for a well-brought-up young lady in the early 19th century was likely to continue beyond the making of a standard sampler and may have included a form such as this, a theorem-like still life of a basket of flowers. Needlework, however, imbues a surface and texture that is more interesting than paint, and we find these examples to be very engaging.

The composition laid out by the maker, R.A. Powell, is both delicate and fulsome, with generous blossoms and leaves attached to wavery stems. Leaves and buds droop over the side of the scallop-topped basket, which is stylishly decorated in geometric patterns. Overall, the piece is quite compelling. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into its original mahogany frame. Sight size: 16W' square

Price: $6800.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER

M. Finkel & Daughter.

Susanna Magarge, Bristol School, Pennsylvania, 1827

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to ethers show, mercy show to me.

~t tlhis day. be bread and peace my lot.. eAll else beneath the sun

J kst bestowd or no~ eAnd let thy will be don~

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....,.._~~

~sanna eM.agarge !827

We are great admirers of the splendid samplers produced at the Quaker schools of the Delaware Valley area in the early 19th century. They often have a dignity and restraint that distinguish them from other American schoolgirl samplers. These samplers feature, among other traits, the highly precise lettering, accomplished in the classic Roman font; this became a hallmark of a Quaker education in the needle arts. We are very pleased to have the opportunity to own Susanna Magarge's sampler, worked in 1827 at the Bristol School, a sampler that is listed in the 1921 ground-breaking book, American Samplers by Bolton and Coe and is one of only a handful of known Bristol School samplers.

Born on March 10, 1818, Susanna was the daughter of Thomas and Hannah (Kemble) Magarge of Bristol Township. Susanna attended the Bristol School when she was nine years old and subsequently went on to further her education at the highly regarded Westtown School in Chester County, Pennsylvania, which she attended in 1834. She did not marry but lived as an adult in Philadelphia with three of her siblings until her death in 1884. It should be noted that an aunt by marriage, Barberry Eagle, also attended the Bristol School a generation earlier in 1808 and the sampler that she worked there is illustrated in American Samplers as plate XCVI. The sampler we offer here is listed in the same publication on page. These two samplers remained together until the early 20th century. A file of family genealogy includes copies from The Livezey Family, published in 1924 as Susanna's paternal grandmother was Susanna Livezey, a member of this prominent Philadelphia Quaker family. The verse featured on this sampler is one familiar to scholars in the field as it was chosen by many early 19th century teachers and samplermakers. Written by Alexander Pope (1688 - 1744), it was entitled "The Universal Prayer." This sampler was worked in silk on a linen gauze, which was formed from a number of different pieces of linen; one may assume that the Quaker values of economy and thrift may have contributed to this construction. It is in very good condition with some wear and loss to the linen and it has been conservation mounted into a black molded and painted frame with conservation glass. Sampler size: 14W' x 1214"

Price: $7800.

M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AMERI CA's LEAD ING sAM PLER AND

EEDLEwo RK DEALE R

Julia Ann Niver, Crawford, Orange Co. NY, circa 1835

This exceptional and folky little needlework picture, solidly stitched in silk on linen, was worked by Julia Ann Niver under the instruction of her teacher, Elizabeth Shorter of the town of Crawford in Orange County, New York. This is the second of two known pieces worked under this instructress and they share the same spectacular scene with a fine Federal house with shuttered windows, lush trees with oversized birds, potted flowers and little plants on a luminous lawn under a pale and shimmering sky. The town of Crawford lies in southeastern New York State, near Middleton, and it was a seat of learning as early as the end of the 18th century when Montgomery Academy was chartered in 1791. It is likely that Elizabeth Shorter attended this Academy and lived in what is now the historic MeadTooker House, a fine Federal building which served as the dormitory and is depicted on this needlework picture. Miss Shorter was born in 1811 and did not marry until late in her life; she must have turned to one of the very few acceptable occupations, teaching needlework - in this case to the daughters of prosperous townsmen of Crawford. The other piece worked under Miss Shorter's tutelage was made by Hellen Crawford (a member of the family for whom the town was named) in 1835 and the inscription on that piece names Elizabeth Shorter as the teacher. It is a fortunate occurrence that allows for identification of an obviously talented teacher. Julia Ann Niver's needlework descended in her family for many generations and is accompanied by excellent family documentation that has been augmented by research. She was born on July 26, 1822 to Ephraim and Elizabeth (Rumsay) Niver of Crawford. In 1844 she married David Smith and they remained in Crawford where their son Charles Winfield Smith was born in 1854. Julia died in 1885 and her needlework descended through her sister's family. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a period cornerblock frame with conservation glass. Size of the needlework: 814'' x 1OW'

Price: $24,000.

AME Ri cA's LEADI NG sAMPLE R AND NEED L EwoRK DEA L ER

M. Finkel & Daughter.

Darning Sampler, Marie Iversen, Norway, 1821 Darning samplers are considered by many to be one of the most desirable of all types of needlework, as they can present a stunning graphic while demonstrating complex techniques. Teachers cut squares in the ground fabric and students were required to darn the hole with specific weave structures. This fine example, initialed "M. 1." and dated 1821, features nine darns and has its original narrow blue silk binding. It descended with the following handwritten note: "Sampler of stitches and darning worked by my Norwegian grandmother, Marie Iversen when a girl, before her marriage .. . in 1823." We rarely find documented Norwegian samplers; for similar examples we referred to a 1985 book on the subject published in Oslo and entitled Navneduker, by Anne Kjellberg. The sampler retains its strong original color and is in excellent condition with only slight area darkening and minor wear along the silk binding. It has been conservation mounted in a black molded and painted frame with conservation glass. Sampler size: 11 \12'' square

Price: $2850.

Miniature motif sampler, England, circa 1820 Rarely do we see miniature samplers worked on as small a scale as this charming pictorial example. The various motifs including potted flowers, a star, crown and butterfly, a bird perched in a blossoming tree, a dog and a rabbit within a scrolled border are all stitched with praiseworthy skill and within just a 2W' by 314'' inch space. The sampler is worked in silk on linen and remains in excellent condition with strong original color and is conservation mounted in its fine original rosewood veneer frame. Sampler size: 2W' x 314'' Framed size: 5W' x 6\l.t" Price: $2850.

M. Finkel as Daughter. AI\ !ERI CA'S LEAD ING SAMP LER AN D NEEDLEWO RK DEALER

Gentleman's Pocketbook, America, 1777

Pocketbooks such as this outstanding example were carried by gentlemen in America during the second half of the 18th century and were used to hold money and valuable papers. Needlework examples were far less common than the leather pocketbooks which were sold by tradesmen. We have known of a number of handsome pocketbooks executed in the Irish stitch in highly colored geometric patterns and it would seem that this style was repeated for many years from New England down to the Mid-Atlantic States. Some of these have been published in Plain and Fancy: American Women and Their Needlework, 1700-1850 by Susan Burrows Swan, who states: "Especially between 1740 and 1790, the Irish stitch was the favorite stitch for pocketbooks. . . . small, envelope-shaped holders served as portable bank safe-deposit boxes (banks did not exist at this time) and enabled people to carry their valuables with them. Men used pocketbooks to carry currency, promissory notes, deed, wills, and other important papers that they might not want to leave in a secret compartment in a piece of furniture." We offer this fine dated and initialed pocketbook which is fully worked on both sides in the Irish stitch in an intricate overall flame pattern with an unusually rich palette of colors. The initials IC and MH appear along with two dates, 1772 and 1777; a logical explanation may be that this was worked by a young wife to present to her husband on the fifth anniversary of their marriage. Pocketbooks were one of the few forms of needlework that remained in the lives of married women. The interior has two compartmented pockets and is lined in its original deep green wool with its original tape binding. It is in excellent condition worked in crewel worsted wool with very few lost stitches. Size closed: 4W' x 6W'

Al'vi ERi cA's L EADI

Size as shown: 9" x 6W'

c sAMPLE R AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER

Price: $4250.

M. Finkel e:J Daughter.

Elizabeth R. Taylor,Âˇ New England, 1819 The quality of work on this sampler is very attractive - that it was worked by a nineyear-old schoolgirl renders it all the more impressive. Various stitches were used to form the outstanding borders of largeblossomed flowers on delicate leafy vines; the narrow blue sawtooth edges, which contribute nicely to the successful composition of the sampler, were worked in satin stitches. Similarly fine work was used to accomplish the trees, with french knots used in great profusion for the foliage. The verse, which makes use of the long, archaic form of the letter "s," is equally appealing, as it speaks of the virtues of learning and wisdom, clearly a theme that would have captured the attention of both teachers and students. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a beveled tiger-maple frame with conservation glass. Sampler size: 1412'' x 1212''

Price: $3850.

Hannah Bishop, America, 1786 The inscription on this piece reads, "Robert Bishop & Jane Bishop my father & mother Hannah Bishop her work 1786," and it is a very good example of an 18th century expanded marking sampler. Along with alphabets and a numerical progression, Hannah included a fine queen's stitched strawberry and two geometric motifs. Her initials appear at the end of the fourth line and she stitched a band of stylized flowers as the lowermost row. Worked in silk on linen, it is surrounded by a border of little strawberries. It is in excellent condition in a 19th century gilt frame. Sampler size: 1212'' x 10'l4"

Price: $2200.

M. Finkei6S Daughter. AMERI CA's L EAD ING sAM PLE R AND NEEDLE w o RK DEA LER

Caroline Scarborough, Buckingham, Bucks Co., Pa., 1847 The Bucks County village of Buckingham, in close proximity to New Hope, was founded in 1702-03 by several men, amongst them was John Scarborough (1667-1727), who had emigrated from England to America in the 1680s. The Scarborough family belonged to the Quaker Buckingham Monthly Meeting and remained in the area for many generations. Our samplermaker, Caroline Scarborough, a direct descendant of John Scarborough, was the daughter of Henry Scarborough and Elizabeth Skelton, whose marriage is recorded in the meeting's 1823 records. Caroline was born on February 28, 1828 and died unmarried in 1853. Caroline's sampler evidences a strong influence of the designs known to have been taught at Quaker schools. These specific motifs include stylized sprays of roses, a pair of birds enclosed in a wreath, baskets of fruit and carnations in a cornucopia. The format of Caroline's sampler is also classically Quaker with its balanced layout centered around two blue lovebirds encased in a wreath of leaves and berries. The sampler is in excellent condition worked in wool on tan linen and conservation mounted in a fine mahogany veneer frame with bull's-eye corner blocks. Sampler size: 1814'' x 1612''

Price: $4800.

Anna E. Shelly, Pennsylvania, 1832 Anna E. Shelly worked this sampler in a pleasing palette of spring green, blue, raspberry, and dark peach and pale gold. She filled the spaces around her alphabets with a heart, bird and crown, but then had to make creative adjustments to accommodate these placements. The lower portion of her sampler presents a mirror-image arrangement of fruit baskets, urns and a central heart - elements that reflect the Pennsylvania German influence prevalent in the region. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in very good condition with some slight discoloration to the linen and is conservation mounted in a molded cherry frame. Sampler size: 12W' x 17"

Price: $1450.

Mary Gatchell, Mountmelick Quaker School, Ireland, 1804

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Quakers first settled in the town of Mountmelick, Ireland, located south and west of Dublin, in 1657 and they gained a reputation as reformers in regard to their stand on slavery, prison conditions, warfare and education. In 1786 four of the town's prominent Quaker gentlemen established the first Friends school in the area following in the tradition of other Quaker schools in England and Ireland, which were well known for the high quality of the education that they provided.

ult# juf>t ruln.i•t lt ti••t u/\lt...nt.iu. to hhold thy wou,

One of the founders of this school was a w~ .. n '"'ld.•n to man~ •·u, ((Sa] •hJ, d1.:tru.rlf~.tl ~t11l, Quaker gentleman 1\ 'fo)lc., J.uc.nau,, fro m on h1(h l urh, tllo\l{hts with ... in ittp1.hnc• roll RtproY'd 11t7 t.rn.n( Jnr. '0•e.r •o•nt# of future 11l ? named John Gatchell Hfho• tn•f,. UM1.18'11L•r•d thrt\lg thu r•und, and it is likely that the ~~ Shll in tl-17 Cod onfidc., "Whou fingu muks th• thtlr hvul'ld, maker of this fine samuA11i cud. u. bndl. . l'lr tld.c.." pler was his daughter. Mary's 1804 needlework is an excellent example of a Mountmelick sampler as it exhibits the characteristics that have come to exemplify the work from this school. The extremely fine stitches in black silk threads replicate many stanzas of poetry so that it appears as if the entire piece is printed onto paper with the classic Quaker style of lettering contributing to this impression. The verse of choice, or perhaps assignment, was written by James Merrick (1720- 1769), an English poet and it is entitled, "The Trials of Virtue," published in 1770 as part of, A Collection of Poems in Four Volumes By Several Hands. 4

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The stylized and tightly controlled borders provide a fine framewo rk for the sampler. It was worked in silk on wool and is in very good condition with some very slight loss, now conservation mounted and in a gilt frame with conservation glass. Please see the back cover of this catalogue for a detail image of this sampler. Sampler size: 171ft'' x 121ft''

Price: $5200.

M. Finkel as Daughter. Al\ IER! CA'S LEADING SAMPLE R AND NEEDLEWORK DEALE R

Harriet Wheadon, New Haven, Connecticut, 1827

Ten-year-old Harriet Wheadon of New Haven, Connecticut created this fascinating sampler which resembles a classic marking sampler above while featuring dramatic fully-worked patterns below. These spectacular bands, executed in the queen's stitch and the Irish stitch closely resemble the fine geometric patterned gentlemen's purses worked in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The presence of these bands, which required great skill and patience to complete, is almost unknown on other schoolgirl samplers and rendered all the more impressive given the youth of the needleworker. The inscription on the sampler reads, "Harriet Wheadon her sampler in the year of our Lord 1827 made at the age of 10 years," and it is accompanied by a file of genealogical research. The history of the Wheadon family in New Haven began with Thomas Wheadon who had settled in New Haven by 1657, according to Records of the Colony of New Haven. Many generations later, in 1817, Harriet was born, and in 1849 she married Samuel Noyes also of New Haven. Her sampler remained in the family for many years and traveled to the Midwest with descendants. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a 19th century reeded black painted frame. Sampler size: 17Y.t'' x 12Y.t''

Price: $8200.

AMERicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER

M. Finkel aJ Daughter.

Sampler Bag, Diocesan Institution, Derby, England, c.1860 While we can assume that more than a few young ladies attending schools that included needlework and samplermaking as a part of their curriculum made "Sampler Bags," these charming examples are almost never available. This example is rendered that much more appealing as its owner, Mary Martin, stitched onto the bag the name of her school, the Diocesan Institution in Derby, England. This was established in 1851 and historians of the school have said that it was a "training school for mistresses ... that offered a learning environment for women who were denied the opportunity of a university education because of their gender." Integral to this double-sided drawstring bag are renditions of darning, mending, buttonholes, ruffled edgings and, of course, marking alphabets. Worked in cotton on cotton, it is in excellent condition and approximately 912'' x 11 Yz". Price: $1600.

Anne of Cleves portrait, England, circa 1890 This is an exceptionally dear little needlework miniature, a portrayal of Anne of Cleves (1515 - 1557) the fourth wife of Henry VIII. The source for our portrait, indeed the only known depiction of Anne, is a painting by Hans Holbein the Younger in which the Queen is similarly costumed. An interest in this period in conjunction with the romanticism of the Art and Crafts movement sparked a Tudor Revival at the end of the 19th century and this portrait would no doubt have been worked in that period. The details of the clothing and jewelry are quite lovely and include ornamentation with glass beads and metallic threads; additionally the face was painted onto the silk. Set into a period gold foil case made for 19th century photography, it is in excellent condition. Size of the needlework: 2%" x 214''

Price: $925.

M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AME RICA's L EADI NG sAM PL ER AN D NEEDLEWO RK D EALE R

Mary Hardmeat, England, 1716

English needleworkers produced excellent whitework samplers in the 17th and 18th centuries, utilizing a great variety of techniques and sophisticated stitches. This fascinating sampler, worked by Mary Hardmeat in 1716, is the mate to a 1710 whitework piece in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England (published as plate 33 in the Museum's book entitled Samplers by Carolyn Humphrey). These two highly unusual samplers feature identical geometric patterned bands of knots with a pictorial panel below. The two samplers are of the same size and scale and are similarly signed and dated. They were clearly the schoolroom products of a specific, and as yet unidentified, teacher. Worked in silk and linen on linen, this sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a deep red carved and painted 18th century frame. Sampler size: 11 Y.t'' x 6"

Price: $5800.

AMERicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER

M. Finkel ~ Daughter.

Dutch Motif Sampler, Amsterdam, 1768

Early Dutch samplers can offer a wonderful combination of stunning, widely 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. This highly accomplished samplermaker featured as her central design 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 shield with triple x'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 is worked in silk on linen, is in excellent condition

and has been conservation mounted into an early 19th century cherry veneer frame. Sampler size: lSY.t" x 14W'

Price: $7800. (detail)

M. Finkel as Daughter. AME RI CA'S LEAD ING SAM PLE R AN D NEEDLEWO RK DEALER

Ann M. Way, Chester Co., Pennsylvania, 1849 Extraordinarily tine samplers and needlework had been created in Chester County for over a century when Ann M. Way worked this outstanding example in 1849. The lush basket of fruit, the rich borders of grape bunches and leaves on tendrilled vines and the letter-perfect verse and inscription are of a quality in keeping with this tradition. The samplermaker was a woman of 32 years of age and may have, in fact, been a teacher of needlework at the time; this would account for both the excellence of her work and the traditional design and execution of her composition.

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lllnnu Namu J.acol and E:h~•hth Way

The sets of initials scattered about the sampler are likely those of her pupils, but it is the listing of the names of her parents and siblings that is most characteristic of her Chester County origins. This regional trait appears on many samplers that are illustrated in Schiffer's Historical Needlework of Pennsylvania and Ring's Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. II. Ann Mendenhall Way was born in 1817 in the small village of Moores Place, the eldest child of Jacob and Elizabeth (Mendenhall) Way who were married in 1816. This Quaker family belonged to the Kennett Monthly Meeting and mention of them appears repeatedly throughout the meeting records. Both the Way and Mendenhall families had settled in this area by the late 1680s and many subsequent generations of Mendenhalls remained in the small nearby town of the same name. Ann's siblings, including the historically named Benjamin Franklin Way, were born in Moores Place as well. At the age of 42, Ann married William Cochrane and the Kennett Monthly Meeting minutes include a notation that Ann wished to maintain her "right of membership" as a Quaker although her husband was not a Friend; this request was granted. She died in 1865 in the nearby village of Hamorton and her sampler descended in the area. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted and in its tine original mahogany frame. Sampler size: 17Y/' x 17%"

Price: $24,000.

AMERicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER

M. Finkel ~ Daughter.

Pinkeep Sampler, England, circa 1840 Young girls frequently made little needlworked objects as presentation pieces and many of these served a practical purpose as tools for stitchers. This tiny sampler is also a small pinkeep for the straight pins set all around its edges, an endearing little piece in excellent condition. Worked in silk on linen, it retains its original deep blue silk backing. Size: 214" x 314" Price: $925.

Zoe Van Antwerp, Ursuline Convent, New York, 1856 In 1855 a small group of Ursuline nuns founded a boarding and day school to educate daughters of fami lies of all faiths. This school was located in the south Bronx, then a new and developing residential and commercial area, which had previously been a single vast estate. The early location of the Ursuline Convent School was atop a hill on Westchester Avenue with a lovely view of the sound; it was here that Zoe Van Antwerp created this engaging needlework picture on perforated paper. Born in 1843, Zoe was the daughter of John and Zoe (Masso!) Van Antwerp. Her ancestry can be traced to Daniel Janse Van Antwerp who came to New Amsterdam in 1656, and subsequent generations of the family settled there, in New York, and in Albany and Schenectady. Zoe's great grandfather, Nicholas Van Antwerp, was an ironmonger in New York who served as a private in the First Battalion New York Militia in 1776. The 1838 marriage of Zoe's parents was recorded in New York and the family appears in the 1860 census in Westchester, NY. It is obvious from these records that John Van Antwerp was a wealthy framer with a great deal of real estate and many servants listed as household members. Her amusing wool and beadwork picture is an excellent example of the stylish pictorial work created in the middle of the 19th century, when traditional samplermaking was no longer in vogue. Worked in wool and glass beads, it is in very good condition with minor loss and some breaks to the paper, and is in a period frame. Sampler size: 12Yz'' x 16Yz''

Price: $2400.

M.FinkeleJ Daughter. AME RI CA's L EAD ING sAM PLE R AN D NEED L EWO RK DEALE R

Cupid and Psyche silk embroidery, Boston, circa 1800

Many silk embroidered pictures were created by young ladies whose education and skills in the needle arts had progressed beyond the making of samplers. The subject matter of these embroidered and watercoloedr pictures included memorials, religious scenes, illustrations of popular novels and depictions of Greek myths. This excellent silk embroidery depicts a scene from the story of Cupid, the son of Venus, and Psyche, a beautiful young mortal woman. Psyche is repeatedly visited by Cupid, who has fallen in love with her and this needleworker has depicted one such scene. In order for their relationship to continue, Psyche is ordered by Cupid never to look at him. Eventually Psyche disobeys this command, looks at him and their love is lost. As is generally the case, a print that was published and distributed in the period would have served as the specific source and inspiration for these pieces and, as a result, it is not unusual to find silk embroideries that strongly resemble one another. Such is the case as we compare the rendition of Cupid and Psyche that was published as figure 2 on page 87 in American Needlework by Georgiana Brown Harbeson with the one that we offer. In each case a reclining young woman in a flowing neo-classical gown is visited by Cupid. Both silk embroideries feature the highest quality embroidery and watercolor and the documentation of the published example allows for attribution of the origin of our example to Boston, circa 1800. The great majority of silk embroideries were framed with a glass mat decorated on the reverse with black paint and gold leaf, a process which went by the French term, eglomise. It is only very occasionally that one comes across a polychrome version of the same. Our Cupid and Psyche is fortunate to retain its original and beautifully decorated polychrome glass mat which makes it substantially more interesting than many silk embroideries. Worked in silk and watercolor on silk it is in excellent condition with its original frame. Please see the back cover of this catalogue for a detail image of this piece. Size of the needlework: 9W' x 12"

Framed size: 14W' x 163//'

AMERicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER

Price: $16,500.

M. Finkel ~ Daughter.

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 Gallery. Alan Sutton Publishing Inc., 1992 Edmonds, Mary Jaene. Samplers and Samplermakers, An American Schoolgirl Art 1700-1850. New York: Rizzoli, 1991. 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, Pa, 1996. Epstein, Kathy. British Embroidery: Curious Works from the Seventeenth Century. Colonial Williamsburg and Curious Works Press, 1998. 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 F. A Gallery of American Samplers: The Theodore H. Kapnek Collection. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1978.

New England Samplers to 1840. Sturbridge, Massachusetts: Old Sturbridge Village, 1978. 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, 1730-1830. 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. Staples Epstein, Kathy, Tinley, Lynn. "Some Honest Worke in Hand... " English Samplers from the Seventeenth Century. Greenville, South Carolina, 2001.

This Have I Done: Samplers and Embroideries from Charleston and the Lowcountry. Curious Works Press and the Charleston Museum, 2002. Studebaker, Sue. Ohio Samplers, School Girl Embroideries 1803-1850. Warren County Historical Society, 1988.

Ohio Is My Dwelling Place. Ohio: Ohio University Press, 2002. Swan, Susan B. Plain and Fancy: American Women and Their Needlework, 1700-1850. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1977.

M. Finkel e:i Daughter. AME RI CA's LEAD ING sAr\ tPLE R AND NEEDLEwo RK DEA L ER

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 in ure 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. 0

Carefully surface clean the piece using a vacuum or light brushing 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 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.

Reverse of Collet Fiche embroidery, page 8

Â«Ht t~ thy &Y'r] trial knon

detail of sampler by Mary Gatchell, Mountmelick School, Ireland, 1804, page 24

detail of silk embroidery of Cupid and Psyche, Boston, circa 1800, page 31

est. 1947

M.Finkei6S Daughter. AMERICA'S LEADING ANTIQUE SAMPLER & NEEDLEWORK DEALER

936 Pine Street. Philadelphia. Pennsylvania. 19107-6128 215-627-7797.800-598-7432. fax 215-627-8199