Samplings: XII

VOLUME XII ;::.llLL /t:t91

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

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

800-598-7432

fax 215-627-8199

Cover Illustration: Mary Roberts, 1802, page 1

Copyright Š 1997 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 XII

The recent Sotheby's auction of the Joan Stephens' collection of samplers and needlework reaffirmed our belief that scholarship and enduring values are inexorably linked. This single-owner auction sale created a level of interest which generated new buyers and extremely strong prices. Fortunately our diligent efforts in uncovering appealing samplers and conducting original genealogical research continue to generate pieces which we are proud to present in this catalogue; we offer samplers which will allow our clients - from serious, long-term collectors to newly-interested first time buyers - to make meaningful acquisitions. We hope that you will share our enthusiasm and agree that this, our eleventh catalogue, presents our most important and interesting offering to date.

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. This year marks the 50th anniversary of 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 v

Adam and Eve, Pictorial Embroidery, England, second half of the 17th century .................. page

19

Eliza Babcock, Columbia County, N.Y., 1835........................................................................... page

12

Jane Beale, Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1819 ..................................................................... page

17

Biblical Map of Canaan, circa 1800, England .......................................................................... page

19

Harriet Carpenter Bowman, Cambridge, Massachusetts, circa 1825 ..................................... page

22

C. d. G., the Netherlands, circa 1800 .......................................................................................page

30

Jane Craig, Crosscreek Village, Washington County, Pennsylvania, 1833 ............................. page

9

Margaret Knowles Crozer, Upland, Delaware County, PA, 1839 ............................................. page

25

Kittura Dillion, Abington, Pennsylvania, circa 1810 ............................................................... page

23

Deborah Ferriss, "Pharaoh's Daughter", England, circa 1800 ................................................ page

28

Amelia George, England, 1834 ................................................................................................. page

30

Catherine Gicker, Reading, Pennsylvania, 1833 ...................................................................... page

13

Elizabeth W. Gillmore, Camden, N.J., 1836 ............................................................................. page

2

Mary Gray, Philadelphia, June the 6th, 1775 ........................................................................... page

6

Ann Elizabeth Hall, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1830 ................................................... page

14

Deborah Hearsey, Charlestown, Massachusetts, 1820 ............................................................. page

10

Hector, portrait of a lion, England, circa 1850 ........................................................................ page

27

Juliann Kuntz, Lower Macungie Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, 1848 ................. page

24

Anna Lee, Pennsylvania Quaker sampler, 1805 .......................................................................page

11

Mary Mansfield, West Needham, Massachusetts, 1835 ............................................................ page

20

Maria Merkle, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, 1827 ................................................................. page

31

Lucy Patton, Duxbury, Massachusetts, 1821 ............................................................................ page

12

Plushwork Dog in Cattails, probably Moravian, mid 19th century ........................................ page

27

Mary E. Ritter, Pennsylvania, 1844........................................................................................... page

8

Mary Roberts, Richland, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1802 .................................................. page

1

Sailing Ship, England, circa 1850 ............................................................................................ page

26

Sailor's ''Woolie", England's Coat-of-Arms, mid to late 19th century .................................... page

26

Juli Ann Saylor, Evansburg, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 1829 ................................. page

4

Silk Embroidery, New England, circa 1800 ............................................................................. page

21

Abigail Smith, Flushing Female Association School, 182l.. ................................................... page

3

Ann Spencer, Pennsylvania Quaker sampler, Union Academy, 1827 ...................................... page

18

Mary Ann Stauffer, Mrs. Buchanan's School, Marietta, Pa., 183l.. ......................................... page

5

Martha Sutton, Pennsylvania, 1826 .........................................................................................page

16

Elizabeth Swinnerton, "State House at Philadelphia", 1835 .................................................. page

15

Thankfull White, South Hadley, Massachusetts, 1768 ............................................................ page

10

Elizabeth Wain Wistar, Philadelphia, 1799 .............................................................................. page

29

M.Finkel aJ Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Mary Roberts, Richland, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1802 It js truly a privilege to offer this rare and important sampler, an exceptionally appealing needlework

picture with a highly unusual sense of vitality and animation. The samplermaker, Mary Roberts, was 17 years old in 1802 and quite clearly very talented in the needle arts, executing her sampler with an extremely advanced level of proficiency. This would be considered a highly desirable sampler on all counts.

The extravagantly pictorial nature of this sampler is very appealing. The trees, winding their way up either side and sprouting french-knotted deep-blue berries, seem barely able to support the oversized birds perched on their upper limbs. The vase of flowers (note the bow-knotted bouquet worked into the blue vase itself) fills the center of the sampler, while a highly unusual scene of a bear lumbering after a prancing deer occupies the lower portion; it is this sense of whimsy which renders this piece most unusual. The Mary Roberts sampleris unlike all known examples from this relatively early period.

Mary Roberts was born to an illustrious Quaker family from upper Bucks County. Thomas and Alice Roberts arrived in Philadelphia circa 1715 and settled 35 miles north in a lush valley next to a stream which they named Butter Creek, a name it retains today. The family camped for a time, built a log home and ultimately built a stone home which stood as the family homestead until the late 19th century.

Their third son, Richard Roberts married Elizabeth Tyson, a young lady from a Philadelphia Quaker family and their firstborn was our samplermaker, Mary Roberts, born April 21, 1785. In 1804 she married William Green, also from a prominent Bucks County family. He was a shoemaker and shopkeeper in Quakertown, active in local politics and the town's first postmaster, a position he held for 40 years.

They were the parents of 8 daughters, and, as their last child, a son. Mary Roberts Green died in 1843.

The sampler is in excellent condition, worked in silk on linen, with its original teal green silk ribbon, conservation mounted into a walnut frame.

Sampler size: 17 lfz'' x 22" Price upon request.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel

es Daughter.

1

2 Elizabeth W. Gillmore, Camden, N.J., 1836

Camden, New Jersey, according to a geographical gazetteer published in 1832, was "a flourishing village extending along the [Delaware] river. The houses are neat, and many elegant. Population 650".

The town was connected to Philadelphia by ferry and populated in large part by Quaker families.

Young schoolgirls in early 19th century Camden were learning to work their samplers in the Quaker tradition, as they were elsewhere in New Jersey and, of course, Philadelphia. It was clearly a teacher well trained in this style of samplermaking who influenced Elizabeth W. Gillmore. Her sampler includes many classic Quaker motifs: the specific basket, bird, lily, star, etc., as well as the Quaker phrasing of the date of her birth, "the 20th day of the lOth mo 1822". It is a balanced and well-proportioned sampler with three handsome borders and a neatly ordered lawn, with animals and birds sharing space; the green silk ribbon, original to the sampler, adds to the appeal.

Elizabeth W. Gillmore was born in Camden, the youngest daughter of William and Elizabeth Gillmore. She worked her sampler in 1836 and in 1843 married William Pidgeon, a farmer from nearby Woodbury, N.J. Their children were James, Elizabeth, William, Job, Amy and Adaline. Elizabeth Gillmore Pidgeon died July 17, 1876 in Camden.

The sampler is in excellent condition, worked in silk on linen and conservation mounted into a beveled cherry frame with a maple bead.

Sampler size, including ribbon: 17W' x 17W' Price: $6800.

M.Finkel eg Daughter.

AMERICA's LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

3 Abigail Smith, Flushing Female Association School, 1821 "A charming group of small samplers known as "Female Association" samplers has survived from several New York City schools operated by Quaker women ... between 1815 and 1826, children often made them as gifts for members of the Female Association, and they were usually signed with the name of the Female Association School where they were made." Betty Ring, in Volume II of Girlhood Embroidery discusses this particularly endearing type of sampler -they are quite small, very finely worked and offer a fascinating glimpse into the history of education in America. The Female Association schools were founded in the first years of the 19th century by a group of benevolent Quaker ladies to provide a basic education for the needy children of New York. These samplers were, therefore, worked by young girls from the working class and not by the daughters of the well-to-do, as is typically the case.

Female Association students were taught basic sewing skills along with academic matters, and several samplers sharing the same Quaker characteristics and overall format have survived, mostly now in museums or important private collections. The Association schools mentioned on these samplers were all in New York City; our Abigail Smith sampler, a recent discovery, is the only one known from this Flushing Association School and documents the existence of this organization in Queens County, on Long Island. As Betty Ring noted, most of the samplers were made as gifts for Association members and this example was worked within this tradition; student and samplermaker, Abigail Smith worked her sampler "For Mary Parsons a member of the Flushing Female Association". According to the minutes of the 1821 Association meetings, provided by the Queens Historical Society in Flushing, Mary Parsons was assigned to visit the school as an overseer.

Female Association school samplers rarely come onto the market; the Joan Stephens Collection of Important Samplers and Pictorial Needlework, sold at Sotheby's in January, 1997 included a lovely New York Female Association sampler, dated 1813, which sold for just over $16,000. We are privileged to offer this important sampler, a product of these fascinating schools. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a beaded walnut frame with pine inlay.

Sampler size: X 10" Price: $12,500.

8 1/4"

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel es Daughter.

o

4

Juli Ann Saylor, Evansburg, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 1829 This large and delicately worked sampler with its lustrous lawn of long satin stitches, highly intricate side borders and letter-perfect verse is a glowing example of the finest of Pennsylvania needlework.

Juli Ann's sampler is remarkably similar to an equally wonderful piece worked by Lydia Kephart, also in 1829, and illustrated in our Samplings catalogue, Vol. IV, page 21; these two samplers share all of their salient elements (verse, borders, lawn, tree, etc.) and attest to the talents of a highly accomplished instructress and her diligent pupils.

JuliAnn Saylor was born April16, 1816 to Valentine and Elizabeth (Bartholomew) Saylor of Evansburg, Lower Providence Township, Montgomery County. She married, on June 18, 1835, Frederick E. Naile, an innkeeper in Norristown, Pennsylvania, who was also the town's only baker.

They were the parents of four sons, one of whom became a prominent commander in the U.S. Navy during the Civil War. JuliAnn Saylor Naile died in 1902 and is buried at St. John's P.E. Church in Norristown.

Her sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a beveled cherry frame with a maple bead.

Sampler size: 21"x17" Price: $6800.

M. Finkel es Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Mary Ann Stauffer, Mrs. Buchanan's School, Marietta, Pa., 1831

Samplers worked under the instruction of Mrs. Catharine Welshans Buchanan, an extremely wellregarded teacher in Lancaster County, are considered amongst the finest examples of Pennsylvania schoolgirl needlework. By 1825, Mrs. Buchanan was teaching in Marietta, a town on the Susquehanna River, and many of the samplers worked under her guidance are included in the section of Betty Ring's Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. II, pages 410-429, entitled "Samplers of the Susquehanna Valley."

Our spectacular sampler, worked by Mary Ann Stauffer in 1831 at Mrs. Buchanan's School and retaining its superb original mahogany frame, is an important recent discovery. Another praiseworthy sampler worked by the same young lady in 1830 also at Mrs. Buchanan's school was in the Kapnek collection (see A Gallery of American Samplers, Krueger, figure 104) and is now owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Both of Mary Ann Stauffer's samplers share many significant characteristics: their highly developed gathered-silk ribbon arrangements, signature willow tree, three-sided borders worked with the queen's stitch and joined by a bow- knot, large house with spire, lawn with grazing sheep and, importantly, use of both English and German language. It is quite uncommon, even from the Pennsylvania German communities of Lancaster County, to find German language used for verse inscriptions on samplers; Mary Ann Stauffer's 1830 sampler is mentioned in Hersh's Samplers of the Pennsylvania Germans, specifically for its German language inscription.

It is clear from these two large and important samplers that Mary Ann Stauffer was a talented and advanced student and we are pleased to offer this extraordinary example of her work.

The sampler was worked in silk on linen with its original ribbons and is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into its original mahogany frame.

Sampler size: 24" x 23 1h'' Price: $32,500.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel

es Daughter.

5

6

Mary Gray, Philadelphia, June the 6th, 1775 It is with great pleasure that we offer this important new discovery: a rare needleworked picture from pre-Revolutionary Philadelphia, equally compelling for its artistic composition as for its historical context.

The needleworker, Mary Gray, was born October 14, 1764, the eighth of the thirteen children of George and Martha (Ibbetson) Gray. The Gray family arrived in Philadelphia from Barbados in 1683 and prospered in this area. George Gray (1725-1800) was the proprietor of "Gray's Ferry", the lower ferry crossing of the Schuylkill River (and in fact a large neighborhood in southwest Philadelphia is still known as "Gray's Ferry"). He was extremely active in patriotic causes and held many important positions, including standard bearer in 1776 for his battery company, the Philadelphia Associators, member of the Philadelphia House Assembly from 1772 to 1787, and perhaps was best known as the author of the celebrated "Treason Resolutions".

Martha lbbetson (1734-1781) was born in London and prior to her immigration in 1749, studied surgery and medicine with a London physician. During the American Revolution, Martha lbbetson Gray devoted herself to the care of wounded soldiers; a round-robin letter of thanks was written to her by wounded and imprisoned officers. Mrs. Gray, according to published family accounts, was a lady of great intellect and accomplishment. Their daughter, our needleworker Mary, married Peter Grubb, a gentleman from an early Chester County family, and they were the parents of two sons and one daughter. An impressive file of family information accompanies this piece.

This is the third needlework picture from this branch of the Gray family to come to light. An example

by Elizabeth Coultas Gray, Mary's older sister, was documented in American Samplers, by Bolton & Coe and from the description (no illustration accompanies this listing) Elizabeth's piece resembles Mary's quite closely. In 1779, Martha Gray, their younger sister worked another very similar rendition, which is in the collection of the D.A.R. Museum and published in both the Arts of Independence by Elisabeth Donoghy Garrett and an article by the same author in The Magazine Antiques, February 1974. Each of the three sisters completed a small needleworked picture with a basket or urn of flowers as its primary element. They are solidly executed in the tent and cross-stitch, each similarly inscribed across the bottom. The girls may have gained their needleworking skills from the same instructress, or the two younger sisters may have emulated the work of their older sister. Our example shows a much greater sophistication than the D.A.R.'s Martha Gray piece in both design and execution. Mary's whimsically decorated two-handed urn anchors the large-blossomed flowers and delicate floral sprays, all of which float gracefully upon the abstract brown field.

Worked in silk onto linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into an early 19th century gold leaf frame.

Sampler size: 8 114'' x 12" Price: $18,500.

M. Finkel (S Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

7

Mary Gray, Philadelphia, June the 6th, 1775

AMERICA's LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel e; Daughter.

8 Mary E. Ritter, Pennsylvania, 1844

This outstanding needlework picture is an exuberant example of one of the most interesting types of the later work that came out of a specific area of Pennsylvania. The work demonstrated on this piece is a clear indication that it was worked under the instruction of Esther Pritchard Hudders, who taught in Bath, Pennsylvania between 1842 and 1847 (see Ring, Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. II, figure 519). Bath is just north of Bethlehem, near the Kutztown/Bethlehem/Easton area that this specific style of needlework well represents. It is signed by Mary E. Ritter and dated 1844; she was born in 1830, the third child of Frederick and Sarah Ritter of Greenwich Township, Berks County.

The highly detailed flowers and densely worked foliage explode from the handsome lattice-work basket. Richly colored merino wools were carefully chosen for their varying hues and then meticulously worked by this talented fourteen-year-old needleworker. Mary worked in the cross, tent and satin stitch, each to its fullest effect. The piece is in excellent condition with some slight loss to the wool and one minor discoloration, and has been conservation mounted into its extravagant original mahogany frame.

Sampler size: 15 W' x 18W' Price: $6800.

M.Finkel e:J Daughter.

AMERICA's LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Jane Craig, Crosscreek Village, Washington County, P~nnsylvania, 1833 This outstanding and highly unusual sampler originates from western Pennsylvania, in an area well known for its exuberant, visually appealing samplers. Our example was solidly executed using early crewel wool in a compartmented format. The corner blocks provide rarely seen needleworked patterns and the entire piece is bordered by a looped edging of the same crewel wool. The combination of the animals, birds and vase of flowers is appealing, but it is the fact that the samplermaker included the name of her village that makes this piece particularly praiseworthy.

Jane Craig was the eldest of seven children born to the Hon. Walter Craig and his wife Elizabeth (Scott) Craig. The family lived in the village of Crosscreek, about 28 miles from Pittsburgh, where Jane's father was a surveyor and farmer, active in town politics. He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, a member of the State Constitutional Congress and in the 1840's, a member of the State Senate, as well as a ruling elder of the Presbyterian Church of Crosscreek. In 1836, Jane married Major William Lee, the eldest son of a prominent family of sheep farmers, and they had six children.

Worked in crewel wool onto linen, the sampler is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a figured maple beveled frame with a bead.

Sampler size: 14114'' x 17'' Price: $5500.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel e; Daughter.

9

10 Thankfull White, South Hadley, Massachusetts, 1768 This simple yet wonderfully appealing marking sampler was worked by Thankfull White "in the y[ ear] 1768". The lettering exhibits the archaic form of the letter "A" and the absence of the letters "J" and "U", consistent with its early date.

South Hadley, in Hampshire County, situated on the Connecticut River, was a thriving town in the mid 18th century which has become well known for the distinctive furniture worked by its early cabinetmakers. Thankfull, the daughter of Jonathan and Lydia (Rugg) White, was born circa 1755; she later married Enos Goodman, also of South Hadley.

The sampler is worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a later frame. Sampler size: 5 W' x 8 W' Price: $1250.

Deborah Hearsey, Charlestown, Massachusetts, 1820 Deborah Hearsey was born December 21, 1806 to Jeremiah and Lydia Hearsey of Charlestown, a town situated north of Boston and incorporated into Boston in 1873. At age 13, she worked this handsome sampler, cleverly using lustrous crinkled silk to its best advantage - her work fairly jumps off of the linen. Ten years later, on November 14, 1830, Deborah married Amos Bates, also of Charlestown.

Her sampler, with its three alphabets, one numerical progression and verse entitled "The Source of Happiness" was beautifully designed and executed. The satin-stitched flowers, teal green leaves and deep blue grape bunches attest to the quality of instruction that Deborah received. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler in excellent condition, in its 19th century painted frame.

Sampler size: 16 W' x 11 W' Price: $4500.

M.Finkel es Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Anna Lee, Pennsylvania Quaker sampler, 1805 W~sttown School, founded as a Quaker boarding school in 1799 and still thriving today, is extremely well regarded for the quality of the needlework produced by its early students, who were working under the direction of obviously talented and demanding teachers. Female students followed practically the same curriculum as male students with the addition of needlework, which was taught for two weeks of a six-week period. Betty Ring, in Volume II of Girlhood Embroidery discusses the samplers worked at this school at great length on pages 388 to 395.

Our superbly-worked Anna Lee sampler appears, in every way, to be a classic and particularly handsome example from the Westtown School. However, the samplermaker, Anna Lee, born April 6, 1790 to Amos and Sarah (Pim) Lee of Exeter, Pa., did not attend the school, according to the Westtown Archives. Her older sister, Rachel Lee (born March 9, 1788) did attend the school, having entered at the end of 1804 and remained there for six months. Rachel must have worked a sampler (or perhaps more than one), brought it home and taught her younger sister Anna this newly learned skill.

According to the school archivist, this was not uncommon and the school's collection has examples of other "Westtown" samplers worked by sisters of students. Anna Lee was clearly capable, at age 15, of extremely fine needlework; her sampler presents a winning combination of some of the most challenging Westtown patterns- complex geometric medallions, detailed tent-stitch Quaker motifs, etc.

Anna Lee married Benjamin Garrigues on February 5, 1816 and they moved to the town of Darby.

This sampler descended in the family as paper label on the back of the frame confirms. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a walnut frame.

Sampler size: 11 114'' x 14" Price $5700.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel e:; Daughter.

11

12

Eliza Babcock, Columbia Co

N.Y., 1835 The vast majority of American samplers were worked onto beige or tan linen with a very small minority worked onto a green field; we had not previously known of any samplers worked onto dyed yellow linen, as is the case with this engaging piece worked by Eliza Babcock in 1835. The palette, primarily bright red and teal blue, works well against the yellow field as is most obvious when observing the two-chimney red house with its unusual dormer windows.

The sampler is inscribed "eliza babcock ae 14 years ap 20, 1835". The samplermaker is most likely the Eliza Babcock born April 20, 1822 to John and Mary (Berg) Babcock of Columbia County, N.Y., which is just over the state line from Massachusetts and north of Dutchess County, N.Y. Eliza married James Cleveland in 1840 and settled in Bridgeport, Connecticut where they had five children. The sampler descended in that area. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into its 19th century mahogany frame.

Sampler size: 17 lfz'' x 12 lfz'' Price: $4400.

Lucy Patton, Duxbury, Massachusetts, 1821 Lucy Patton's handsome sampler combines many delightful needlework designs and classic motifs. Her upper and lower case alphabets are flanked by evergreen trees and giant butterflies, her inscription and verse are contained within a stylized cartouche, and the two-chimney Federal house sits between two oversized flower pots. The samplermaker paid a great deal of attention to the first floor of the house as the windows, fan light in the doorway and graduated steps attest.

Interestingly, her focus on architectural detail does not include the upper level.

It is likely that she had intended to add further work to the tightly stitched lawn but did not find the time to complete it.

Lucy Patton was the daughter of John and Lucy Patton of Duxbury, born September 15, 1808. Her sampler descended in the Boston area and remains in excellent condition, silk on linen, conservation mounted into a walnut frame with line inlay.

Sampler size: 18 W' x 16 1h'' Price: $3200.

M.Finkel

es Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

13

Catherine Gicker, Reading, Pennsylvania, 1833 An important and extremely appealing group of whimsical needlework pictures emerged from Reading,

Pennsylvania and we are fortunate to offer what, in our opinion, is the most painterly and well-composed of the known examples. As a group, they share a vitality and lively naivete which are quite appealing.

The American Museum in Britain at Bath includes within its collection a fine example from this school (see The Magazine Antiques, March 1993, page 434) worked by Rebecca van Reed Gresamer dated 1835, and the Foulke collection of samplers, which was sold at Skinner Americana Auction (January 16, 1988) featured as its cover lot another of these Reading school pieces, by Mary Ann Rowe dated 1834. Our Catherine Gicker needlework shares with the others all of their significant characteristics: the imposing house with its greenhouse-like appendages, Herculean dog and bird, whimsically foppish boy and basket-toting young girl. In each case this young girl is decorated with a necklace strung of tiny beads and sewn to the needlework.

Catherine Gicker's needlework picture assumes a balance and purposefulness to the overall composition lacking in the other pieces, where the building is placed off to one side. The pinnacle formed by the weathervane on the spire atop Catherine's work is flanked by six pale geometric stars nestled in between the lush foliage and the two trees, whose curved trunks further the harmony of this composition. Our piece is also the only one which is solidly worked, creating a lustrous texture throughout and a handsome muted sheen to the sky.

Catherine Gicker was most likely the daughter of Benjamin and Catherine (Getz) Gicker of the town of Reading, as found in the early 19th century census indexes and confirmed in the 1822 will of her grandfather, Nicholas Getz of Reading.

The needlework picture was worked in silk on linen with beads applied and is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into its very fine original mahogany frame with maple trim.

Sampler size: 17 314'' x 2llfz'' Price: $26,000.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel

es Daughter.

14 Ann Elizabeth Hall, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1830 This large and handsome sampler has much to recommend itself: a prominent, architecturallydetailed Federal house flanked by intricate wrought iron fencing and highly unusual trees, a series of appealing sampler motifs such as lustrous roses, baskets of fruit and a bird perched on a sprig just above the roof, and a particularly engaging verse, as follows: "How happy is the youth who hears Instructions warning voice And who celestial wisdom makes Her early only choice According as her labours rise So her rewards increase Her ways are ways of pleasantness And all her paths are peace" The sampler is inscribed "Ann Elizabeth Hall's Performance In the 9th year of her age in the year of our Lord 1830". The use of the word "performance" is interesting as it confirms the sense that proficiency in the needle arts was learned, and then demonstrated similarly to, for instance, poetry declamation.

According to family history, Ann Elizabeth Hall was born January 23, 1824, the sixth of seven children of Isaac Hall of Chester County and Susanna Smith of Lancaster County. The family resided in Strasburg which is south of the city of Lancaster. The sampler descended in the family.

Worked in silk on linen, the sampler retains its original green silk ribbon, which was applied by crossstitch. The use of ribbons, generally of green silk, is indigenous to parts of southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. The sampler is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into its fine original frame with rosette corner blocks.

Sampler size: 18" X 17 W' Price: $7500.

M.Finkel es Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Elizabeth Swinnerton, "State House at Philadelphia", 1835 Samplers depicting important public buildings surface occasionally, but we had not previously known of one featuring the red brick State House at Philadelphia -the building which was later renamed "Independence Hall" and which has become an icon of the founding of our country.

The State House was planned and constructed by the Pennsylvania Assembly between 1729 and 1753 and served many purposes. The State Assembly met there beginning in 1735 (while the building was still under construction); Indians, in town on official business, lodged in its east wing; the Second Continental congress convened there in 1775; and on July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was adopted in its paneled east room. During their occupation of Philadelphia, British troops were quartered there, and in 1787 the Constitution of the United States was framed and adopted in its halls. The Liberty Bell was housed in the tower and belfry, pictured on this sampler between two huge blue birds.

Into the early 19th century, the State House served as the site of pubic gatherings, civic functions, museum exhibitions and voting (which took place from its first floor windows). In 1816, gas was brought in to provide lighting for a second floor hall, the first such public illumination in the United States.

This sampler, "done by Elizabeth Swinnerton in the 14 year of her age 1835", shows all the characteristics of an English sampler; the highly symmetrical format and stylized birds, flowers, baskets and crowns are consistent with an English origin. How incongruous that a young English schoolgirl chose to depict "A view of the State House at Philadelphia". Certainly, by 1835, relations between England and the United States were no longer acrimonious and prints of American views were being published in London. It is a terrifically interesting sampler whether American or English.

Worked in silk, linen, and wool on linen, it is in excellent condition with some slight losses, conservation mounted into a black painted frame with a gold liner.

Sampler size: 15 'N' x 15 1/4'' Price: $6850.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel e:J Daughter.

15

16 Martha Sutton, Pennsylvania, 1826 The samplermaker of this handsome, well-balanced piece chose a rendition of a favorite sampler verse and worked it boldly into the space allotted: "When I Was Young I Little Thought That Learning Was So Dearly Bought But You Look On And You Will See What Care My Parents Took Of Me" Martha Sutton, aged 15, worked a strongly proportioned two-chimney brick house with a detailed front door, classic wrought iron fencing and two folky fruit trees; the sampler is surrounded on four sides with a strawberry and vine border. It descended in the Lancaster County town of Mount Joy and we are hopeful that further research will reveal the identity of Martha Sutton.

Worked in silk and wool on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into its original beveled mahogany frame. Sampler size: 16" x 15W' Price: $4850.

M.Finkel es Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Jane Beale, Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1819 (detail)

This exquisitely worked sampler is an excellent example of a group of delicate pieces worked in Chester County between 1811 and 1826, under the instruction of Hannah Carpenter of West Bradford township. Those samplers, including one worked by Hannah Carpenter herself, are discussed and illustrated in Ring, Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. II, pages 396-399. They share many design elements with our Jane Beale sampler: the central two-handled urn sprouting a large carnation, stylized willow trees, wavy fruit trees, baskets and cartouche surrounding the inscription.

However, none of the other published examples, many of which are in the collection of the Chester County Historical Society, includes a depiction of a house, which our sampler maker rendered in delicate cross stitch along with its fence and trees.

Interestingly, Jane's sampler includes two elements which indicate the strong influence of 18th century sampler design - this specific border, which was frequently used by the Philadelphia samplermakers throughout the second half of the 18th century and the early form of the letter "J" which, for the most part, had disappeared by the end of the 18th century.

Genealogical research continues as we hope to identify Jane Beale; it is most likely that she was a daughter of William Beale of Westtown township (close to West Bradford township where Hannah Carpenter lived) who appears in the 1820 and 1830 census indexes with four young daughters. We are also offering for sale, seperately, a sampler worked by Sarah Ann Beale in 1830. These two pieces descended together and it is likely that Jane and Sarah Ann were sisters.

The sampler was worked in thin silk floss on extremely fine linen gauze and is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a cherry frame with line inlay and a beaded edge.

Sampler size: 17" x 14" Price: $6500.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel (:;Daughter.

17

18 Ann Spencer, Pennsylvania Quaker sampler, Union Academy, 1827

"The most pervasive and easily recognizable evidence of Quaker instruction is bold renditions of the Roman alphabet" according to Betty Ring in Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. II, "Quaker Samplers in America." Our sampler, with its handsome, crisply-defined graphic demonstrates the appeal of these Quaker samplers. It was worked by Ann Spencer under the instruction, it would seem, of Ann Buckman. It is most likely that the school was the Union Academy which was founded in 1805 in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Along with her alphabets and meandering vine border, Ann Spencer worked a wonderful diamondshaped decoration in the queen's stitch, which would testify as to her proficiecy in the needle art.

According to Susan B. Swan in A Winterthur Guide to American Needlework, "The Queen's stitch is one of the most difficult of the needlework stitches, a fact that undoubtedly accounts for its virtual extinction for the past century and a half. Even at the height of its popularity, from about 1780 to 1810, it was used only for very small items."

Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition with slight loss to the initial letter "A" and a tiny hole to the linen. Conservation mounted into its fine original mahogany and walnut frame.

Sampler size: 11 W' x 17 W' Price: $3400.

M.Finkell!j Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

19

Adam and Eve, Pictorial Embroidery, England, second half of the 17th century It is a pleasure to offer this veritable gem -a 17th century silk-work picture produced during the "extraordinary flowering of the embroiderer's art, both in the quantity created and in the great number of techniques used" according to Xanthe Brooke, Catalogue of Embroideries, The Lady Lever Art Collection. Our Adam and Eve pictorial embroidery was meticulously worked using different stitches and varied colored floss to create the rich textures. The hill of flowers upon which Eve is seated is comprised of hundreds of tiny french knots and the ground beneath Adam was worked with chenille thread. Mica was stitched down to create castle windows while the serpent was drawn onto the silk but not needleworked. Excellent condition, conservation mounted.

Needlework size: 7" x 6 114'' Price $3250.

Biblical Map of Canaan, circa 1800, England "The working of samplers was in itself considered to produce well-managed households and ordered thoughts -the female equivalent of a young gentleman's Latin," according to Xanthe Brooke in Catalogue

of Embroideries, The Lady Lever Art Collection. The making of a map sampler fell right into this line of thought and many maps of England, Scotland and Wales, for example, were produced by English schoolgirls in the last decades of the 18th century. We had not previously, however, known of a needleworked map based on the geography of the Old Testament: Samaria, Judea, Phoenicia, Jericho, the Salt Sea, and the River Jordan, among many other sites, are clearly delineated. Place names were worked in crossstitch, borders were worked in whip stitch, and latitude and longitude were worked in an extremely fine running stitch. Silk on wool, conservation mounted and in excellent condition, in a birds' eye maple frame with a gilt liner.

Sampler size: 16 W' x 121/2 Price: $2200.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel

es Daughter.

20

Mary Mansfield, West Needham, Massachusetts, 1835 Genealogical needlework samplers are prized for their form as well as their content; these samplers are fuctioned as decorations and as documents. The first third of the 19th century saw a flowering of this style of sampler, fully discussed in the book Family Record, published by the D.A.R. in conjunction with a definitive exhibition at their Washington, D.C. museum in 1989. According to Family Record, "Genealogical needlework may be an American invention ... and the majority of examples were made in Massachusetts."

Mary Mansfield, the maker of this well-developed genealogical sampler, was the eldest child of a shoemaker, John Mansfield and his second wife, Elizabeth Livermore. Interestingly, her sampler documents both the first and second marriages of John Mansfield and it is clear that our samplermaker was named in memory of his first wife. Our research revealed that this branch of the Mansfield family traces its roots to its arrival in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1640. Mary Mansfield was born May 28, 1822 and married John W. Harrington of western Massachusetts on December 16, 1841. They had two children in Weston, Mary Emma Harrington and John T. Harrington.

Genealogical samplers will occasionally feature a family-related verse along with the listings. Mary Mansfield's verse, "Strong are the ties of nuptial [sic]love/United with their friend above/How pleasant tis to see/Children with each other agree" is at first difficult to discern. These lines were worked, with their words running together, into the horizontal spaces flanking the words "Parents" and "Children" above the respective listings. The samplermaker strove to include other detailed information such as the maiden names of Mary and Elizabeth.

Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into its original gilt frame.

Sampler size: 16 W' x 16 3/4'' Price: $4200.

M.Finkel OS Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

21

Silk Embroidery, New England, circa 1800

Our praiseworthy silk-embroidered picture features a wonderfully folky and luminous scene - a lake nestled into a bucolic landscape with two men in a rowboat and two large-scale swans. The delicacy of the needlework rivals any that we have seen; there is a tiny silvery plow worked into the field, and rows of flawlessly rendered fences were worked at the foreground of the lake and base of the hills. By using the satin stitch, the needleworker was able to create minute, individually-worked leaves. The border displays a variety of lustrous long-stitched flowers and metallic and chenille threads outline the ovals and form five ellipses at the top. Paint was applied to depict the cottages, castles and sky, adding to the richness of the palette. This is a very appealing needleworked picture.

Size of the needlework: 15 W' x 12 314'' Price: $8800.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel e:J Daughter.

22 Harriet Carpenter Bowman, Cambridge, Massachusetts, circa 1825

This engaging sampler was worked in the early years of the 1820's by Harriet Carpenter Bowman of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Using variously colored threads, she inscribed her sampler "Harriet Carpenter Bowman was born August 25th 1811 Cambridge"; the Vital Records of Cambridge provide the information that she was the daughter of Benjamin and Lucy Bowman. Her sampler would have been worked, no doubt, when she was between nine and fifteen years old under the tutelage of one of the many fine instructresses of needlework teaching in the early 19th century in this prosperous area.

This sampler is listed and described in American Samplers by Bolton and Coe, published in 1921 by the Massachusetts Society of the Colonial Dames; a listing in this important and early publication adds to the provenance of any sampler.

Her sampler includes a charming scene of cross-stitched houses and trees on a satin-stitched river (the Charles River one must suspect) and the following verse: "While Beauty and Pleasure are now in their prime And Folly and Fashion expect our whole time And let not their phantoms our Wishes engage Let us live so in youth that we blush not in age.

I sigh not for Beauty nor languish for Wealth But grant me king Providence Virtue and Health Then richer than kings and as happy as they My days shall pass sweetly and swiftly away."

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

Sampler size: 17 W' x 12 W' Price: $3600.

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

23

Kittura Dillion, Abington, Pennsylvania, circa 1810 We are grateful to the young samplermakers who documented their work by including the name of their town on their needlework; this not only adds to the interest of the specific sampler, but increases our knowledge regarding the origin of other samplers. The verse on this sampler begins "Kittura Dillion is My Name/ Abington is My Nation".

Regional characteristics such as the carriage house with arcaded doorway and black dog, pine trees with oversized birds and two-handled urns of flowers appear on other samplers from this area. A sampler made by Rebecca Barton in 1808 and in the Kapnek collection for many years (figure 58, A Gallery of American Samplers, Krueger) shares these elements and provides an interesting comparison.

Abington is a small town just north of Philadelphia in Montgomery County, with a population under 1,000 in the early years of the 19th century. Kittura Dillion was born July 3, 1796 to Jacob and Mary Dillion and would have worked her sampler when she was between 10 and 14 years old, hence we can date her work circa 1810. Kittura died in Abington on September 5, 1865 and a photocopy of her will and the inventory of her estate accompany this sampler.

(detail)

The sampler is in excellent condition, worked in silk on linen, conservation mounted into a figured maple frame with an ebony bead. Sampler size: 17 W' x 20" Price: $7400.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel es Daughter.

24 Juliann Kuntz, Lower Macungie Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, 1848 As the first half of the 19th century was drawing to a close, the working of samplers as an integral part of the curriculum for schoolgirls was no longer receiving the emphasis it had enjoyed for over a century. Nevertheless, some of the samplers produced in the 1840's and 1850's display enormous vitality and strength of design. The sampler we present here is an excellent example of this exuberance, "Wrought by Juliann Kuntz at school in Lower Macungie Township Lehigh County, Penn.

August 28, 1848".

The geometric patterned basket contains an explosion of robust blossoms and berries, and the polychrome birds watch over the beginning of a verse "And Robin and his pretty mate together lived in happy st[ate]" which flanks the basket. There is an appealing and infectious sense of whimsy to this needleworked still life, made by a ten-year-old schoolgirl in rural Pennsylvania.

Juliann Kuntz was born in 1838, the daughter of Reuben Kuntz of Trexlertown, a farmer and shoemaker, who was active in town politics, and his wife, Sarah Spangler. She married a farmer, Leon Kuhns and they lived in Upper Macungie Township with their six children.

The sampler was worked in wool on unbleached linen and is in very good condition, with some slight loss, conservation mounted into its original cherry frame.

Sampler size: 17" x 18 114'' Price: $8500.

M.Finkel G Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Margaret Knowles Crozer, Upland, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, 1839

Beginning in the mid 1830's, a stylish new type of pictorial needlework was taught to young ladies in cosmopolitan areas along the East Coast. Our richly colored sampler worked by twelve-year-old Margaret Knowles Crozer in 1839 is an excellent and early example of this newly fashionable form of needlework, while retaining certain earlier characteristics: it is signed and dated in the tradition of earlier samplers and includes the classic aphorism, "Industry its own reward".

The samplermaker was a young lady from a prominent family, well-known for its philanthropic endeavors. John Price Crozer, Margaret's father, helped to found a hospital, a seminary and a university. He was a highly successful cotton-goods manufacturer and married Sallie Levis Knowles, who was from a distinguished local family. Sallie Knowles was, in fact, the niece of Mary Gray, whose important early needlework is offered on page 6 of this catalogue. Margaret was their eldest daughter, born at the family home on October 13, 1827. She married William Bucknell in 1855 and along with her father and husband contributed generously to the establishment of a new university in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Margaret's husband was the first president of the school, which shortly thereafter was renamed Bucknell University.

This sampler was worked in wool on linen and is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a fine period mahogany frame.

Sampler size: 19 W' x 18 W' Price: $4800.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel e; Daughter.

25

26 Sailor's "Woolie", England's Coat-of-Arms, mid to late 19th century A form of sailor's needlework art, the "woolie" was produced in the second half of the 19th century by and for sailors.

Occasionally, examples worked with the coat-ofarms of England surface; they were typically made as souvenirs of a royal cruise. The classic unicorn and lion worked with appropriate facial expressions, sit upon the "Dieu et Mon Droit" banner, flanking the admonishing motto, which loosely translates to read "May harm come to you for thinking ill of the Crown and its God." Ours is a small, tightly worked and appealing woolie, worked in wool onto linen, in excellent condition in its original molded maple frame with a gilt liner.

Sampler size: 8 'N' x 13 'N' Price: $1750.

Sailing Ship, England, circa 1850 This charming little needlework picture, fully worked in the cross stitch, features a ship in full sail, a favorite subject of 19th century painters and printmakers, but one rarely found depicted in needlework. A British naval three-masted frigate sports a brown hull with a bold red stripe and sits in whitecapped waves against a stylized two-tone sky. The pennants and Union Jack provide further delightful punctuation of color. Worked in wool into linen, conservation mounted into its original walnut and gilt liner frame.

Sampler size: 7 314'' x 9 314'' Price: $1350.

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Hector, portrait of a lion, England, circa 1850 This is a perfectly charming diminutive portrayal of a recumbent lion named "Hector". His whiskers and mane belie his ferocity and the crayon-bright palette adds to the humor of this needlework picture. Worked in wool onto linen, in excellent condition, it is in a 19th century frame with a reverse painted mat.

Size of the needlework: 4 1/4'' x 5W' Price: $975.

Plushwork Dog in Cattails, probably Moravian, mid 19th century Our endearing depiction of a dog fetching a riding crop was worked in plush wool and crossstitch with a painted sky.

The splendid circular format is unusual and, in the opinion of noted needlework expert and author, Susan B. Swan, used exclusively by the Moravians in their schools and academies.

The Berlin pattern dates this piece from the mid 19th century and it may have originated at the Moravian Salem Female Academy in North Carolina or either of the two Moravian schools in Pennsylvania.

It was worked in wool on linen and in excellent condition, retaining its original convex glass and molded brass frame.

Size of the needlework: 7 W' in diameter Price: $1150.

AMERICA's LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel e; Daughter.

27

28

Deborah Ferriss, "Pharaoh's Daughter", England, circa 1800 Subjects from the Old Testament enjoyed popularity at the end of the 18th century in England; documented samplers and needlework feature Adam and Eve, Elijah, Rebekah at the Well and Solomon's Temple. Our sampler, worked by Deborah Ferriss is entitled the "Pharaoh's Daughter" and includes a six-stanza poem, the fourth of which provides the gist of this classic tale: "The kind Egyptian gaz'd upon his charms And with compassion view'd the weeping child She snatched the little Hebrew to her arms And kissed the infant the sweet infant smil'd" The scene depicted in needlework below includes Moses in a striped green basket surrounded by bulrushes and the Pharaoh's daughter, with a brilliant red wrap, her arms raised in alarm; two swans float serenely on the whip-stitched water. The sampler is bordered by a tight strawberry pattern, with rose sprays emanating from each corner. The samplermaker inscribed her name below the verse, just above the bow-knotted floral vine.

~~ . . --' Pl.arao~.

Worked in silk on wool, the sampler is in very good overall condition with a number of tiny holes, conservation mounted into a painted frame.

D ughter

1

~~

f. ast hy the lhrgin of her nati'l>e flood 't'ioe kind Egyptian gaoz'd upor lois cbrws . ·v.lho•e fertile Waters are wd 1\nown to ram And with compaBlon v1e w d the weepmgc And ricb in hou"ty as tie ge rrrou rtrea 11 .

She ll!atd d the little He.Wew to ~er arms.

Ant k1a d the irrf arr! tne tweet infant (ltld.d

V'hen.lo.a lelrder cry atfbcts her ear.

!.\gam lhe clafps hill! with a fond emhrace.

r· air aS the hord'rlrrg' flow.rs the fr!Rce(Htood '1\e tender cry le~lares av 1Whrrt•s grief, Soon lh~ 1Vho 111elted at each mortals care .

Sampler size: 16 W' x 12" Price: $2850.

Vet nore n,e p1t1es the young strangers S"!.e w1pd the tears that hu•g' JLfO~ h•s lace• \.Xl;u. terdereA pity ~oagh the laks relief. Mer own t!.e wh,!e ir pioU j'ieWIY rtow'

i~

ha!.e adorn•i in .klutys early bloom. f/:(411 tltoa.poor t~lderervirg infallt.diC • the laft dill'eB expos.d appears, flo ir my hofolll every iarget lhll~' ••• (of) rea fleads • Jlilcler doo.. .

A prirceft lhJJ ~~y rlfenu loB rp.eoks ·will. all tt.e elo<jaence of tears .fAn !~ art wort~y to he ca"J ler Coli

Ft iutawt . II:>

II

Ddora~

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

r•rrly .

01

ferris

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

29

Elizabeth Wain Wistar, Philadelphia, 1799

Elizabeth Wain Wistar was born November 12, 1788, the second child of Thomas and Mary (Wain) Wistar and the great-granddaughter of Caspar Wistar (1696-1752), one of Philadelphia's most prominent German immigrants and an important citizen of the city. Caspar Wistar owned an early brass button manufacturing operation in Pennsylvania and a widely known glass house in New Jersey, having arrived in America in 1717.

Prior generations of Wistar ladies are known as serious and talented needleworkers; indeed a pair of important silk embroideries worked by our samplermaker's great aunt, Sarah Wistar, in 1752 is now in the collection of Winterthur Museum and the needlework of another great aunt, Margret Wistar is featured in Ring's Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. II, figure 374. Our sampler is boldly monochromatic and highly stylized. The symmetrical scene at the bottom of the sampler depicts a pine tree flanked by a pair of turkeylike birds. The pair of deciduous trees provide shade for another pair of fowl.

The center section is occupied with a classic cautionary verse and the inscription below reads, "Elizabeth Wain Wistars Work 1799". It is all surrounded by a deep arcaded border which is partially unfinished at the lower right side. All of the needlework was accomplished in green silk with the exception of the four tiny pink eyes on the birds.

R~rp thy cns~Le-..:.~ r,,.. Jf h~ 11.-..d 11"-..pt.flu.oo.:t p?.l-lio•S f~ So ¥h•• tho<l 'lu c;flll .. fro• hlln~t £: .l..l:J>,.Ihall lhy p<~H<t~• » ~sp sh,.lllhJI p·•.u ..g~ "-~ GJ>e.rfu.\ lh, "U"ru.! JnJ' Short rf<t

"i<;<~ ...,.. l'Wi~• G<><I

.,,... &Mt

~"P• &-h'"l\l "'t"t the "" ln. 'lilo:l)

~ ru.tb -Sh~l.L a<w the

(Q ..,.

a-

Mak) 'lt lf -tln.llltL IN h

·w-...~ .u ,..._,,.., d>~l· & F-..u

· ,,..u

tliUt

Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a black painted frame.

Sampler size: 21 W' x 12 3/4'' Price: $5200.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Firikei6J Daughter.

30 C. d. G., the Netherlands, circa 1800 Dutch samplermaking at its best offers extremely fine needlework and a fascinating variety of classic needlework motifs; this sampler offers excellence in both areas. The Adam and Eve are balanced by the Spies of Canaan (Joshua and Caleb holding a large bunch of grapes) and they share the sampler with many varied pots and urns of flowers and a pair of doves. The border is a spectacular vine of multi-colored grape bunches, which is not a border found frequently on sampl~rs of any nationality. The initials of the samplermaker are enclosed in a round cartouche which is held up by a pair of angels. It is likely that the other two sets of initials were those of her parents.

Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a later Hogarth frame.

Sampler size: 14 W' x 18 W' Price: $3400.

Amelia George, England, 1834 Classic early 19th century English samplers typically depict a manor house with an animal-filled lawn, an Adam and Eve under a fruit-laden tree or a cautionary verse with various space-filling sampler motifs in a balanced format surrounded by a finely worked border. This exemplary sampler, inscribed "Amelia George December the 16th 1834" includes all these possibilities. Interestingly, another piece which is virtually the mate to our sampler and worked in the same year came to our attention recently during a slide lecture by noted needlework scholar Betty Ring. Clearly, the two samplermakers were instructed by the same talented needlework teacher and we are pleased to offer the results of Miss George's efforts.

Research indicates that she was born circa 1820 to Robert and Mary George from the town of Redruth in Cornwall; she was christened January 28, 1821. The sampler was worked in silk on wool, is in very good condition with some slight loss, conservation mounted into a 19th century frame.

Sampler size: 16 114'' x 12 W' Price: $3800.

M.Finkel

es Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Maria Merkle, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, 1827 'In Girlhood Embroidery, Betty Ring devotes a section in Volume II to "Samplers of the Lehigh Valley" where a style of sampler design came to include bucolic scenes of houses, lawns, sheep and trees surrounded by wide borders of large blossomed flowers; frequently the only inscription on these samplers is the samplermaker's name and the date of completion. Our Maria Merkle sampler was clearly influenced by these other Lehigh Valley pieces while maintaining a charming na"ivete. The flock of ten sheep graze placidly on the cross-stitched lawn with its many paths, while rose bushes leap from behind the fence. The large brick house has highly detailed green-mullioned windows and a curiously paneled doorway.

Maria Merkle was born September 29, 1817 to John and Elisabeth Merkle of Weisenberg Township, Lehigh County. She married Joseph Knerr and they had one child, a son, Alphinus Steven Knerr in 1851.

The sampler is in excellent condition, worked in silk on linen, conservation mounted into its original beveled pine frame. Sampler size: 16 W1 x 16 W' Price: $3800.

AMERICA ' s LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel G Daughter.

31

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

0

Carefully clean the piece using our special vacuum process.

0

Mount it by means of hand"sewing onto acid-free museum board that has been slip-cased with fabric appropriate to the piece itself, and at the same time stabilize any holes or weak areas.

0

Refit the item back into its original frame, or custom-make a reproduction of an 18th or early 19th century frame using one of our exclusive patterns.

0

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

0

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

0

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

M.Finkel (S Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPI.ER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

SELECTED NEEDLEWORK BIBIOGRAPHY Allen, Gloria Seaman. Family Record Genalogical Watercolors and Needlework.

Washington, DC: DAR Musemum, 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.

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 Hertage 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 Handbrooks.

Cambridge, England: Cambridge University 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 Stubridge, 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.

Plian and Fancy: American Women and Their Needlework, 1700-1850.

New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1977.

AMERICA ' s

LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M. Finkel~ Daughter.