Samplings: XIV by M. Finkel & Daughter

VOLUME XIV

SA.J.VIPLI~<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

Samplings ... volume XIV "Like other forms of material culture, samplers are products of a particular society and thus reflect attitudes, expectations, and changes within that society. Samplers are also works of art that not only please modern eyes, but tell us what was considered aesthetically pleasing in the past. More importantly, these examples of plain and decorative needlework illuminate the lives of people often overlooked in written history: the girls and women who lived during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries." The interest in schoolgirl samplers and silk embroideries as a window to understanding our history continues to grow. The above quote from Kim Smith Ivey's new book, In the Neatest manner: The Making of the Vrrginia Sampler Tradition, which accompanies an exhibition of the same name at Colonial Williamsburg, well represents the basis for our interest in the field. Fortunately, we continue to discover fascinating examples and our genealogical research has been rewarding. We hope that you will share our enthusiasm. The selected bibliography included at the end of the catalogue is regularly updated and we refer to some of the books as they pertain to specific samplers. If any of these books prove difficult to procure, let us know and perhaps we can assist in locating them. 1997 marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of our firm, a fact of which we are quite proud. We like to think that our positive relationship with clients, many of whom are now second generation, is because of our commitment to customer satisfaction. Buying antiques should be based in large measure on trust and confidence, and we try to treat each customer as we ourselves like to be treated. We operate by appointment and are at the shop five days a week, except when we are exhibiting at an out-of-town antiques show. Please let us know of your plans to visit us. Every item in this catalogue is guaranteed to be authentic and original, and you can rely on our expertise in describing each piece as to age and condition. Most of the samplers are described as being "conservation mounted," and where this is noted, the work has been done according to description of the process at the back of this catalogue. All merchandise is offered subject to prior sale. Should your first choice be unavailable, we urge you to discuss your collecting objectives with any one of us. Our inventory is extensive, and we have many items not included in our catalogue. Moreover, through our sources, we can often locate the sampler that you are looking for; you will find us knowledgeable and helpful. Payment may be made by check, VISA, Mastercard, or American Express, and we ask for payment with your order. Pennsylvania residents should add 6% sales tax. All items are sold with a five day return privilege. Expert packing is included: shipping and insurance cost are extra. We prefer to ship via UPS second day air or Federal Express, insured. Amy Finkel Morris Finkel Martine Webber 800-598-7432 Are you interested in selling? We are constantly purchasing antique samplers and needlework and would like to know what you have for sale. We can purchase outright or act as your agent. Photographs sent to us will receive our prompt attention. Call us for more information.

Cover Illustration: Hannah L. Hancock, 1840, page 1 Copyright ÂŠ 1998 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.

ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF CONTENTS Adam and Eve, England, circa 1800 ........................................................................................... page

Allahabad Missionary School, India, 1870, Clara and Helen Moss ............................................ page

Arnot Street Board School, England; 1891 ............................................................................... page

Mary A. P. Baird, Coatsville, Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1834 ............................................ page

Hannah Bate, Haddonfield, New Jersey, 1795 ............................................................................ page

Charlotte Beck, Pine Grove School, Burlington Co. N.J .......................................................... page

Sally T. Caldwell, New Boston, N.H., September 28, 1824 ....................................................... page

Ann Clayton, American, 1839 ..................................................................................................... page

Eunice Bourne Crocker, Barnstable, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1803 .....................................page

Nancy G. Cummings, Marlborough, N.H., 1835 .......................................................................page

Darning Samplers, Female Model School, Dublin, Ireland, mid-19th century ........................ page

Harriett Dector, Elizabeth Town, New Jersey, View of Mount Vernon, 1838 ............................page

Catherine H. Dix, Boscawen, N.H., 1824 ................................................................................... page

Dorcas Hannah Mewburn, Yorkshire, England, 1830 ................................................................page

Christian Geissinger, Pennsylvania, 1839 .................................................................................. page

Mary Jane Glenn, attributed to Henrico County, Virginia, 1831 ..............................................page

Pair of samplers worked by Jessie A. Greening, England, 1850 and 1854 ...............................page

Silk Embroidery, Worked in Memory of Mrs. Abigail Hale and Mrs. Sarah Kettell of Newburyport, Massachusetts, circa 1813 ........................................................................................................... page

Berkshire Co., Mass. Sampler, in memory of Mrs. Lucinda W. Hannum, circa 1840 ............. page

Hannah L. Hancock, Burlington, NJ, 1840 ................................................................................ page

Elizabeth Hickes, England, 1697 .................................................................................................page

Clarissa Kimball, miniature sampler, Bradford, Massachusetts, 1795 ....................................... page

Mary Jane McKaleb, Philadelphia, 1814 ···································:·················································Page Sarah Michener, Montgomery Co. or Chester Co., Pennsylvania, 1792 .................................... page

21 9

Miniature Silk Embroidery, American, circa 1810 ..................................................................... page

Motif and Alphabet sampler, Northern Europe, circa 1825 ...................................................... page

Oval Map of Europe,_Ann Neate, Caine, England, circa 1800 ................................................... page

Susan H. Partridge, Medway, Massachusetts, 1832 ..................................................................... page

Silk Embroidery, in Memory of Brig. Gen. Z. M. Pike, by Mary Lebo, Harrisburg, 1813 ........ page

Mary Pitcher, Philadelphia or Portsmouth, Virginia, 1823 ........................................................ page

Priscilla Pryor, Jr., Philadelphia, circa 1825 .............................................................................. page

H. S., Scotland, circa 1790 ~ ......................................................................................................... page

Sarah Ann Shemelia, Burlington County, N.J., 1823 .................................................................page

Caroline Smale, Mid-Atlantic States, 1849 .................................................................................. page

Statehouse or Courthouse, unfinished, American, circa 1815 .................................................. page

Elizabeth Taylor, Stoughton, Massachusetts, 1814 ......................................................... :.......... page

Grace Townsend, Westtown School, Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1809 ............................... page

Sanni Weniger, European or possibly French Canadian, 1843 .................................................. page

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel G Daughter.

Hannah L. Hancock, Burlington, NJ, 1840 It is our privilege to offer this spectacular and important sampler, worked by Hannah L. Hancock, a young lady from a prominent Burlington family; her sampler is one of the most visually captivating pieces that we have ever known. Burlington County is an area extremely well-regarded for the many excellent schools of samplermaking that existed there and Betty Ring devotes ten pages to the "Quaker Samplers of Burlington County" in Girlhood Embroidery vol. II. With their Quaker roots solidly anchoring their skill with the needle and providing patterns for their samplers, these teachers and their pupils produced, as a group, an extraordinary body of work including one particular icon within the world of American samplers, the Anna Braddock sampler from the Joan Stephens Collection, which sold at Sotheby's in January 1997 for $145,500.

Exceptional Burlington County samplers include a depiction of an important and beautifully worked building, and Hannah Hancock's rendering would have to be considered one of the most exceptional buildings to appear on any sampler. Quaker motifs including the classic "w" fruit-filled baskets, pots of flowers and pairs of birds are packed onto the sampler with many miniaturized design. Two diminutive men each with a dog were worked under a line-up of nine tiny birds near the top and center of the sampler; other birds and butterflies appear upside-down. The inscription appears inside a fine rose and vine cartouche along with the initials "S.F." which most likely are those of Hannah's teacher. The border of polychromed flowers on a meandering vine offers a handsome visual framework. Samplers of this quality were almost always worked by girls from illustrious families and this is not an exception. Research indicates that Hannah L. Hancock was hom in 1830; the daughter of Thomas and Prudence (Richardson) Hancock. Thomas, whose father Thomas (1757-1805) was also a native of Burlington County, succeeded to his father's farm and turned his attention to nursery interests, becoming known throughout the United States for his many varieties of trees, fruit and flowers. He was quite active locally and nationally as a founding member of horticultural and agricultural societies and served as a director of a bank in Burlington. For some years prior to his death in 1854, Thomas Hancock turned decidedly to the cultivation of rare varieties of indigenous plants and enjoyed great success in this field. Indeed, the estate's inventory of his personal property included over 13 pages of specific plants and trees. Hannah Hancock married George Estilow, with whom she had four children, Edwin, George, Margaret and Prudence. After the death of her husband in 1872, Hannah married Alfred Shinn, a carpenter from Ocean County. Hannah died on August 17, 1907 in Burlington and is buried in St Mary's Protestant Episcopal Churchyard. A large file of family information accompanies the sampler.

M.Finkel e:J Daughter.

AMERICA ' S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Hannah L. Hancock, Burlington, NJ, 1840 (continued from prior page) We are very pleased to be able to offer this important piece which has never before been offered for sale on the market. It was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. ConserVation mounted into a period paint-decorated beveled frame with tru-vue glass. Sampler size: 17 3/ / ' x 20 lfz'' Price upon request

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M. Finkel G Daughter.

Mary Pitcher, Philadelphia or Portsmouth, Virginia, 1823 Ori December 14, 1814, Mary Pitcher was born, the second of six children of Henry and Elizabeth (Lufberry) Pitcher of Kensington, which at the time was a small town just northeast of Philadelphia on the Delaware River. Henry Pitcher was a shipwright, listed in the city directory compiled in 1821 at an address at Queen and Bishop Streets, near the waterfront. That was the last year that this family was recorded as living in the Philadelphia area; they subsequently moved to the small Chesapeake Bay town of Portsmouth, Virginia, where Henry Pitcher continued to work as a shipwright. In 1823, Mary Pitcher, in either Philadelphia or Portsmouth, worked this engaging sampler with large alphabets and a classic verse enclosed within an unusual chain-stitched floral vine. The verse reads as follows: "Teach me to feel annother's [sic] woe !fo hide the faults I see !fhat mercy I to others show !fhat mercy show to me"

Flanking the verse are two birds on truncated hills lending a note of animation to this sampler. The borders provide a stunning visual framework for the piece. The Pitcher family bible, dated 1840 from Portsmouth, Virginia, records the births and further indicates that the samplermaker married a man named Gale and died on May 11, 1866. We are also offering a marking sampler made by Mary in 1822 and a small sampler worked by her sister Elizabeth, circa 1829. Worked in silk on linen and in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a period gilt frame. Sampler size: 19 W' x 16" Price: $3800.

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Eunice Bourne Crocker, Barnstable, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1803

Samplers worked onto deep green Iinsey-woolsey are quite rare and originate, for the most part, along the New England coast from southern Massachusetts to southern Maine. In the first few years of the 19th century, Eunice Bourne Crocker of Barnstable worked just such a sampler onto a large piece of richly colored Iinsey-woolsey and we are pleased to be able to offer the results of her efforts. Barnstable, a small town on Cape Cod, was founded in 1639 primarily by six families, including the Crackers, according to early accounts. Eunice Bourne Crocker was born in Barnstable in 1793, the oldest of the four children born to Zenas and Hannah (Bourne) Crocker. She worked this sampler in 1803 at the age of ten and died quite young at the age of sixteen. She is buried at the small early graveyard at Marston Mills, a tiny village southwest of Barnstable. Her sampler is large and handsome with three delicately worked alphabets, a classic sampler verse and a wonderful open-work basket flanked by a pair of vases holding branches of blue flowers and foliage. It was worked in silk on linen and is in very good condition with some very minor areas of wear, stabilized by conservation mounting with tru vue glass. The frame is an outstanding early 19th century stencildecorated example with its original paint, further enhancing this piece. Sampler size: 23" x 16 W' Price: $8200 . .

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

Caroline Smale, Mid-Atlantic States, 1849 There is an unusual aesthetic to this stunning sampler worked by Caroline Smale and dated April 12, 1849. The combination of lustrous, over-scaled foliage and flowers with delicate berries and blossoms in varying shades of rose, fuchsia, mauve and gold is quite appealing and provides an outstanding framework for the faultlessly rendered verse entitled, "Poetry" and transcribed below: "Tis religion that can give, Sweetest pleasure while we live! Tis religion can supply, Solid comfort when we die; Mter death its joys will be, Lasting as eternity. Be the living god my friend, Then my bliss shall never end." It is a classic example of the cautionary words frequently taught by schoolmistresses and worked by samplermakers.

The long, crinkled-silk satin stitches are highly reflective and create a compelling picture. Worked in silk onto fine linen gauze, the sampler is in very good condition with some small areas of loss to the background linen, in a fine period mahogany veneer frame with bead. Sampler size: 17 314'' x 16 W' Price: $7200.

Sarah Ann Shemelia, Burlington County, N.J., 1823 This important and rare sampler has a most unusual and appealing aesthetic; Sarah Ann Shemelia of Southampton, Burlington County, N.J. worked a stylish and highly detailed rendition of the County Courthouse in Mt. Holly, N.J., the county seat located on the Rancocas River. The Courthouse was built in 1796, designed by Philadelphia architect, Samuel Lewis, and according to The History of Mt. Holly (1957) was "recognized as one of the finest examples of colonial architecture in existence". In 1807 wings were added onto each the south and north sides, and although the samplermaker may have taken some artistic license, there seems to be no doubt that this courthouse served as her inspiration. Sarah Ann Shemelia was working within a tradition of excellence; early 19th century Burlington County 19th century samplermakers created some of the most elaborate and highly developed of all American samplers (see Hannah L. Hancock, page 1 of this catalogue). The research that we conducted to identify this samplermaker was initially stymied by the alternative spellings of this unusual last name (e.g., the same historical records show the name as "Shemely" and "Charmelee" in addition to "Shemelia"); fortunatefy, we now have a rather complete picture of Sarah Ann Shemelia. Born July 27, 1804, as she states on her sampler, she was the daughter of John and Martha Shemelia of the town of Southampton. In 1823, in her 19th year, she worked this sampler and her excellence with the needle can be attributed in part to the fact that she was older than most samplermakers. On July 28, 1827, she married John Johnson, a carpet weaver from Pemberton Township, and their 3 sons and 2 daughters were born in Pemberton. Sarah Ann died at age 80, in 1883.

M.Finkel e!J Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Sarah Ann Shemelia, Burlington County, N.J., 1823 (continued from prior page) Technically, this sampler is quite a stand-out. The narrow 3-sided border was worked in the challenging Queens stitch, the lawn and paths were evenly worked in the satin stitch and the tent stitch was used to accomplish most of the building. The graphic trees and lustrous flowers were worked in the flat stitch using crinkled silk floss for additional texture.The meticulously-worked verse is a compelling classic within the schoolgirl vernacular, however we have never known it to be used in its entirety (see Mary Pitcher's sampler on page 2 for the more common use of the first four lines). This sampler, which descended for many years in the family, is a fascinating new discovery and adds greatly to the body of work from this well-respected area. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition with a very few stitches worn away, conservation mounted into its fine original mahogany veneer frame. Sampler size: 15 lf4' x 16 W' Price: $25,000.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER. AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER.

M.Finkel S Daughter.

Arnot Street Board School, England, 1891 This anonymous samplermaker worked her sampler at the Arnot Street Board School in 1891 and included the alphabet in both upper and lower cases. Schoolgirls had learned to cross-stitch in just this manner for hundreds of years at this point, although not all of the results were as neatly worked as this example. Silk on linen, excellent condition, conservation mounted into a painted and molded frame. Sampler size: 7 IN' square Price: $850.

Allahabad Missionary School, India, Clara and Helen Moss, 1870 Throughout the 19th century, orphanage schools existed in England, many of them in the town of Bristol, and by the 1870s, as many as 2000 destitute orphans were housed and schooled within these institutions. Concurrently, missionary orphanages were established in India, patterned after these British models and, according to an article in The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth Histozy (vol. 7 no. 2, 1979), "there were similar free schools for poor Europeans and Anglo-Indians in such military towns and railway junctions as Agra, Kanpur, Allahabad and Lahore". Samplers were produced by female students at these missionary orphanage schools as a part of an effort to provide practical skills so that, as young ladies, they might find employment as teachers or housekeepers. A body of such English samplers survive, all of them worked in red onto white with various bands of letters and decorative borders; in contrast, very few examples worked in India are known to exist. This sampler seems to be a joint effort between two sisters, Clara and Helen Moss, dated July 8, 1870, with the word, "Allahabad" worked at the end of the bottom line; it is a fascinating record of the 19th century orphanage and missionary movement. Worked in red cotton onto linen, it is in excellent condition, mounted into a later black painted frame. Sampler size: 21 W' x 16 W' Price: $2200.

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Berkshire County, Massachusetts Sampler, in memory of Mrs. Lucinda W. Hannum, circa 1840 Throughout the early 19th century samplers and silk embroideries were dedicated to the memory of specific deceased relatives and lost friends. The popularity of this practice reached such a pitch that Anita Schorsch, writing about this period in her book, Mourning Becomes America, states that "Mourning art ... was a way of showing that one had good taste and proper manners". The Latin term "Momento Mori", which translates as "Remember the Dead", was frequently used in this regard and, indeed, appears in the middle of an otherwise cheerful scene on this sampler. 1\vo richly worked buildings sit upon a sumptuous queens stitch lawn. Details such as leafy trees and vines complete the landscape while stars, an oversized bird and a wonderful scallop of clouds decorate the sky. The central band of fruit baskets and a tightly worked horizontal basket of flowers further attest to the talent of the samplermaker. The border, an unusual geometric design, remains incomplete. The identity of the samplermaker is not known to us; however, the inscription indicates that it was "consecrated to the memory of Mrs. Lucinda W. Hannum/ Deceased 9th August 1840 Aged 53," Lucinda Walker was born September 3, 1787, in Windsor, Berkshire County, Massachusetts to Robert and Esther Walker. In 1830, she married Othniel Hannum of the nearby town of Peru, and she died ten years later in Deerfield, Massachusetts. This piece is a praiseworthy example of 19th century samplermaking; the needleworker combined great skill in the needle arts with the fashionable trend of memorializing a loved one, with exemplary results. Silk on linen, conservation mounted with tru-vue glass, in excellent condition, in a beveled striped maple frame with an ebony bead. Sampler size: 16 314'' x 17 !f.'' Price: $9400. (detail)

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel G Daughter.

Catherine H. Dix, Boscawen, N.H., 1824

(detail)

ÂˇThis particularly beautifully wrought sampler was worked by Catherine Hartwell Dix of Boscawen, New Hampshire at age 11 and evidences a high level of sophistication. The variety of stitches, including French knots, satin stitch, chain stitch, and cross-stitch, the stylish yellow basket exploding with flowers, and the subtle shadings of the crinkled silk used to create the richly-worked border and graceful trees all contribute to the desirability of this sampler. As a particular touch of whimsy, an extremely tiny bird appears on the lawn beneath the right-hand tree. Interestingly, the two areas flanking the verse, which is a classic piece of poetry extolling the virtues of samplermaking, remain unfinished; pencil marks indicating the intentions of the samplermaker, or her teacher, remain visible. The samplermaker was a young lady from a prominent family of Boscawen, New Hampshire. Catherine Hartwell Dix was born May 19, 1813, to Col. Timothy Dix and his second wife, Lucy Hartwell. Boscawen is a small town situated on the banks of the Merrimack River, across from Northfield, Sanbornton and Canterbury. These towns have become well-known for the important groups of samplers worked there in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Catherine married the Hon. John Augustus Bolles on November 11, 1834; he was a highly prominent lawyer and writer who served as Secretary of State of Massachusetts, and held many other important positions in Massachusetts, and in the United States. Their six children were born in Boston, Roxbury and Winchester between 1835 and 1856. Catherine's sampler stands as an excellent example of the outstanding schoolgirl art produced in New Hampshire. It is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a bird's eye frame with an ebony bead. Sampler size: 16 3f4" X 18" Price: $6200.

Sarah Michener, Montgomery or Chester County, fennsylvania, 1792

9 (detail)

Collectors have noted that 18th century samplers worked in Philadelphia and the immediate surrounding areas are becoming increasingly scarce and those which include pictorial depictions even more so. Sarah Michener's sampler, worked in 1792, is an important and very beautiful example which we feel privileged to own. The crisply defined house and lawn are flanked by a lady and a gentlemen in detailed 18th century costume and the delicately wrought border is of excellent proportion. Many detailed sampler motifs, including pineapples, birds, crowns and asterisk-like stars, were worked in mirror image format throughout the field of the sampler and are indications of the variety of stitches and techniques familiar to Sarah Michener. This sampler is closely related to another outstanding example, worked by Hannah Paul in 1795 and illustrated in our Samplings, Vol. II, page 13. These two were quite clearly worked under the instruction of the same talented teacher and their notable similarities include the border, format of the house and lawn and the extremely high quality of the needlework. The teacher seems to have suggested or required a depiction of the couple which appears on the Michener sampler, but was not included on the Paul sampler. The Michener and Paul pieces well represent the excellence of Philadelphia-area samplermaking throughout the 18th century (see Ring's Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. II, Philadelphia's Opulent Embroidery). It is clear that a teacher, who had been trained in the high style of the mid 18th century, was teaching both the Michener and the Paul girls in nearby Montgomery or Chester County towards the end of the 18th century. Sarah Michener was born in 1781 to Arnold and Martha Michener of Abington, a small town in Montgomery County. Quaker monthly meeting records indicate that the Micheners moved to West Bradford township, Chester County in 1784, and in May, 1800, Sarah married James Embree, also of West Bradford. A file of family information accompanies the sampler. Worked in silk on linen, and in excellent condition, conservation mounted with tru-vue glass, in a black painted and molded frame. Sampler size: 17 W' x 13 W' Price: $18,500.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

Nancy G. Cummings, Marlborough, N.H., 1835 Nancy Cove Cummings was born November 22, 1820, to the Rev. Charles Cummings and his wife Mary Hemenway in the small village of Marlborough, near the town of Sullivan in southwestern New Hampshire. When she was fifteen years old she worked this outstanding sampler, demonstrating some of the most sophisticated stitches and delicate techniques within the vocabulary of samplermaking. Included are examples and variations of the bullion stitch, buttonhole stitch, chain stitch and satin stitch, as well as some stitches which were not sufficiently used to be categorized. Nancy Cummings, at age 15, was obviously a serious student working under the tutelage of an exceptionally talented teacher. The highly decorative border, worked in both crinkled and plain silk, emanates from a gossamer basket at the center of the bottom and cleverly culminates in a smaller basket at the top; the blossoms and alphabets serve as a highly satisfying showcase for the samplermaker's encyclopedia of techniques. Nancy was married to Elijah Boyden, also of Marlborough, on April 5, 1835 by her father, the Reverend. Her husband kept a general store and was postmaster and Justice-of-the-Peace of the town. According to the History of the Town of Sullivan, N.H. (1921), "Mrs. Boyden was a rare lady of scholarly taste, refined and cultivated, and greatly beloved by all who knew her." She died on September 10, 1908 and her sampler, in many ways the embodiment of the above description, descended for many years in the family. Worked in silk onto an extremely fine linen gauze, it is in excellent condition with tru-vue conservation glass in a fine 19th century gilt frame. Sampler size: 16 W' x 21" Price: $5200.

M.Finkel as Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Sally T. Caldwell, New Boston, N.H.-, September 28, 1824

portion, clusters of flowers same samplers, the matching five-bay hipped-roof house flanked by Ul-Âˇ-UliJl

An important and highly recognizable group, currently comprised of only five samplers, was worked by girls from the towns of New Boston and Goffstown in southern New Hampshire between 1824 and 1833. Our superb example, worked by Sally Thomas Caldwell of New Boston, is a recent discovery and an addition to this highly desirable group. Characteristics of these samplers include their identical, graceful curvilinear borders of unusually deep proand, in the case of three of these same distinctive trees.

Another of these samplers, from the collection of Theodore Kapnek and published in Glee Kruger's A Gallery of American Samplers, was worked by Clarinda Parker, and dates just one month earlier, August 31, 1824. It is virtually the mate to our Caldwell piece. Both of these samplers were worked in the finest schoolgirl tradition by young girls who, no doubt, sat side-by-side learning from their teacher, obviously a woman of considerable talent in the needle arts. These samplers were worked with extreme delicacy onto gauze-like linen. Note the black thread (often called the "tail") which is visible from behind the linen as it was taken from the end of one word or letter to begin the next. The Parker sampler from the Kapnek collection shows these identical tails. Another example from this group, lacking the visuallycommanding house and trees, was worked by Clarissa J. Kimball and was part of the Joan Stephens Collection, sold at Sotheby's in January of 1997. Our Sally Thomas Caldwell was born in New Boston, Hillsboro County, on March 1, 1811 to David and Elizabeth Caldwell. Further research conducted locally will, no doubt, bear further information. The sampler was worked in silk on linen gauze and is in excellent condition, mounted wi tru-vue conservation glass into a fine 19th century gilt frame. Sampler size: 17 1/2'' X 21" Price: $24,000.

Grace Townsend, Westtown School, Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1809

Thou art the 10urce

ucl

c:aal.nl of

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Their only poiat. of rut.:, cterul word!

rr -

tau dcp·~· thq are lote.. and roft

AI. rudom.. wlthoul. honour, hopa, or pncc.

r rom u-

is all thu aootha the life of mu.,

H.. hip ade.voar, ud IUs glad Hu

rtnagt.h

But

lhou

Thou art of

sue~s.

his will to tern. bouteQut giver of all good,

ruff er, and

all thy gifu, thyulf

the crown!

Gm, what thou can'st, withollt thee we are poor;

ADd wtth tke nch, tale

what

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wdt away.

Westtown 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 knowledgeable 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. After "plain sewing" (i.e., marking and darning), girls went on to more demanding projects such as this outstanding "Extract" sampler. A verse, which well represents Quaker beliefs, is faultlessly rendered and surrounded by an undulating vine-and-leaf enclosure that is believed to have originated at the Westtown School. The samplermaker signed her work and named the school as "Weston", which was used interchangeably with "Westtown" from the school's inception until late in the 1860's when the latter spelling was made official. Grace Townsend was a Quaker girl, born in Bensalem, just north of Philadelphia, on August 21, 1791, to Ezra and Elizabeth (Paul) Townsend. At age 19, she married James Thornton at the Byberry Monthly Meeting; he had also attended the Westtown School. A very similar sampler, worked by Anna Pancoast in 1806, was sold from our Samplings catalogue, volume VII in 1995 and then resold in the Joan Stephens Collection at Sotheby's auction in January 1997. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a 19th century molded oak frame. Sampler size: 12" x 12 3/4'' Price: $7400.

M.Finkel es Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Silk Embroidery, Worked in Memory of Mrs. Abigail Hale and Mrs. S~rah Kettell of Newburyport, Massachusetts, circa 1813 It is a pleasure to offer this exquisite and important silk embroi-

dery, possibly worked at the Charlestown Academy of Charlestown , Massachusetts. A silk embroidery worked by Mary Frost in 1813 and published in American Needlework Treasures by Betty Ring, fig. 109, was quite clearly worked at the same school and shares the same overall design, execution of the large tree at left and willow at right, distinctive handsome painted faces and identical treatment of the printed epitaph.

~----..j

The subjects of this silk embroidery were members a prominent family from the nearby, prosperous town of Newburyport, Massachusetts. The two women who are the primary subjects were sisters, the granddaughters of an illustrious sea captain, Mayo Greenleaf, of Newburyport. Both of these women were married, but died as young adults, and were remembered, along with their infants, on this stunning neoclassical silk embroidery. It was likely that this piece was worked by their youngest sister, Catherine Greenleaf (born 1796), who would have been in her teens shortly after the death of Sarah Greenleaf Kettell in 1812. A file of family information accompanies this piece.

The somewhat unusual palette of clouds and sky, painted in delicate shades of green and white, coordinates beautifully with the beige, silver, green and brown of the needlework. The extensive use of French knots provides an attractive texture and the needlework and paint complement each other especially well. It is in excellent condition in a 19th century gilt frame with its original reverse painted glass. Size of the oval: 20 W' X 18 3/4'' Overall size: 25" X 23" Price: $16,500.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel aJ Daughter.

Priscilla Pryor, Jr., Philadelphia, circa 1825 (detail) This praiseworthy sampler is a veritable album of Quaker motifs and needlework designs representing the finest education available to females in the early days of this country. The letter-perfect center extract verse, surrounded by a vine and leaf cartouch of Quaker design, the pairs of birds, baskets of fruits, floral sprigs and geometric stars would all have been considered essential elements on a classic Quaker sampler; the work is extremely fine and each detail was given the full attention of the samplermaker. Priscilla Pryor, Jr. was the daughter of Richard and Priscilla Pryor of Philadelphia and their initials appear in script near the very top of the sampler. They were married in 1809 at the Quaker Mulberry Street Meeting House; while no record of the birth of Priscilla, Jr. has been found by our researcher, it is likely that she was born shortly after their marriage. The design and execution of this sampler indicates that it was worked circa 1820-25. It is likely that the samplermaker was the same Priscilla Pryor who married Jabez Small in 1831 in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition, conservation mounted with tru vue glass into a mahogany frame with rosette corner blocks. Sampler size: 19 'N' x 17 'N' Price: $4800.

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Harriett Dector, View of Mount Vernon, Elizabeth Town, New Jersey, ~iss Barton, instructress, 1838

"Mount Vernon was a favorite subject of engravers, whose work was widely copied in both needlework and paint," according to the article in The Magazine Antiques, February 1981 by Davida Tenenbaum Deutsch and Betty Ring, entitled "Homage to Washington in needlework and prints." We are extremely pleased to offer this rare example, a view of the east front of Mount Vernon, inscribed "Harriett Dector Elizabeth Town Taught by Miss Barton AD 1838." This particular view was taken from an aquatint engraving by Frances Jukes (1747-1812) after a drawing by Alexander Robertson (1772-1841); it was entitled "Mount Vernon in Virginia The Seat of the late Lieu.t George Washington" and was issued in London on March 31, 1800. The samplermaker, Harriett Dector, worked her rendition of Mount Vernon with.great accuracy and included the three doorways, dormer windows, columns, octagonal cupola, Palladian side window and colonnade arches. Harriett Dector was the daughter of Joseph and Louisa Dector of Elizabeth Town (then Essex, now Union County) in northern New Jersey. Harriett married Napoleon N. A. Denaismes and they were mentioned in the 1855 will of her father. Miss Maria M. Barton, a teacher unknown to us prior to the discovery of this sampler, was born circa 1807 and was listed on the 1840 and 1850 census as a school teacher in Elizabeth Town. Indeed, her 1861 estate inventory lists a mahogany dining table and 14 rush seat chairs! The quality of the needlework contributes greatly to the appeal of this important piece. Mount Vernon is set upon a lush rolling landscape flanked by richly-textured trees. The sampler is bordered by a wonderful vine and blossom border with a stylish elongated Greek key as an outer border. Worked in silk on linen in excellent condition, with one tiny area of weakness to the linen, conservation mounted into a beveled figured cherry frame with maple bead. Sampler size: 16 W' x 20 lfz'' Price: $12,500. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

Elizabeth Hickes, England, 1697 Long, narrow band-patterned sampler characterize seventeenth century English schoolgirl needlework and, according to Betty Ring in Girlhood Embroidery, vol. I, page 11, "as the seventeenth century progressed, long, band-pattern samplers more often included alphabets, signatures, dates, and moral inscriptions." This sampler, worked by Elizabeth Hickes in 1697, is an excellent example of this form, impressive for both its scale, measuring only 18 1/4" x 4 314'' , and for its workmanship. The white work, which comprises the top four bands is exquisite and remains in impeccable condition. A transcription of the verse is as follows: "Love thou the Lord and he will be a tender Father unto the [sic] And Jabez called upon the God of Israel saing [sic] Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed and in large my cost" Silk on linen, excellent condition, conservation mounted into a bird's eye maple frame with a gilt liner. Sampler size: 18 '14'' x 4 3/4'' Price: $3800.

Motif and Alphabet sampler, Northern Europe, circa 1825 The scene along the bottom of this sampler, which was worked either in Germany or the Netherlands, circa 1825, is a charming vignette including a church, a man in a blue jacket with his dog and a cottage with a bird perched on its roof. Above the cottage are the Spies of Canaan with a large bunch of grapes; and above the church is a fruit-bearing tree with an intricate bird cage. Other motifs not commonly found on samplers are the anchor and the snail. This is a delightful piece neatly worked, predominantly in the cross-stitch. Silk on linen, excellent condition, mounted into a mahogany beveled frame. Sampler size: 11 W' x 12 3/4'' Price: $2200.

M.Finkel G Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Hannah Bate, Haddonfield, New Jersey, 1795 Throughout the 18th century, Salem, Camden and Gloucester counties in southern New Jersey were extensively settled by Quaker families; two of the families with deep roots in this area, the Bate and Davis families are indicated on this lovely sampler worked by a granddaughter, Hannah Bate in 1795. There is an unusual format to this sampler - the information regarding the births of all four grandparents was worked in a continuous fashion down two columns, beginning with "Grandfather Benjamin [note early use of "I" for "J"] Bate was born the 7 of the 7 month 1727". Grandmother Kezia Bate, Grandfather James Davis and Grandmother Marcy Davis are also mentioned and in each case, the traditional Quaker phrasing ("7th month" instead of "July") was used. The handsome deeply-arcaded borders are unusual in that they include many different flowers, each carefully worked with time-consuming stitches and the effect is quite appealing. Hannah Bate was born on April, 17, 1788, the daughter of Joseph and Marcy (Davis) Bate (the respective children of the grandparents listed on the sampler) in Haddonfield, NJ. Hannah married Josiah Ellis of Gloucester county, NJ in 1807 and their eleven children were born between 1807 and 1832 in this area. Hannah died on February 8, 1866. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a molded black and gold painted frame. Sampler size: 16 W' x 13" Price: $3850. Âˇ

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel G Daughter.

Silk Embroidery, in Memory of Brigadier General Z. M. Pike, by Mary Lebo, Harrisburg, 1813 In Girlhood Embroidery, vol. I, page 21, Betty Ring writes that the majority of mourning pieces "appear to have been made as a record and a decoration, rather than an expression of current grief." This would certainly seem to be the case with this fascinating silk embroidery, which is inscribed "Sacred to the Memory of Brigadier Gen. Z. M. Pike who fell at the capture of Little York UC April 27, 1813". Many mourning pieces were worked in memory of George Washington and it seems that other national figures inspired similar works. Brig. Gen. Zebulon Montgomery Pike (b. January 5, 1779 d. April 27, 1813) was a highly regarded soldier and explorer, best known today for his "discovery" in 1806 and subsequent naming of Pike's Peak in the Colorado Rockies. He was born and raised in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and began his career with the frontier army at the age of 20. In the War of 1812, he led the command at the Battle of Little York, in Upper Canada, and while he led his men to victory, he was killed during the assault when the enemy's powder magazine exploded; he was 34 years old. This silk embroidery is signed with an inscription applied to its gilt frame, "Mary Lebo Harrisburgh, Sept. 25 1813." The maker captured the spirit of mourning brilliantly; two young ladies are dressed in distinctive period mourning garb, the younger clutching a handkerchief, and they incline their heads as they read the inscription on the tomb. The willow tree, a metaphor of loss, further contributes to the scene. It is likely that the needleworker did not personally know Brig. Gen. Pike but participated in the national vogue for memorializing the departed. Worked in silk and paint on silk, it is in good condition with some loss to the background silk, and minor discolortion, in its orginal gilt frame. Size of the needlework: 18 W' x 13 W' Price: $4250.

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

(detail)

Ann Clayton, American, 1839 This engaging sampler exhibits an unusual freshness of spirit and sense of whimsy. One young girl holding a basket rides side-saddle on a gray horse while two butterflies hover above. The other young lady, similarly dressed in a fashionable empire gown with puffy sleeves and a bonnet, picks flowers and appears positively diminutive by comparison. The combination provides a wonderfully folky effect. The border is a very unusual leafy vine with rose buds and over one hundred tiny red berries; this graphic framework provides a visual punctuation not commonly found. It is likely that this sampler emanates from the southern part of the United States; it descended in a Kentucky family, and does seem to have been worked outside of the samplermaking traditions of the more northern states. Silk and wool onto linen, excellent condition, conservation mounted into a fine period mahogany frame. Sampler size: 15 W' x 17 !fz'' Price: $8200.

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M. Finkel~ Daughter.

Sanni Weniger, European or possibly French Canadian, 1843 This endearing little sampler was worked in French and translates as follows: J .Ai.ll;

"I love Dad and Mom with all my heart this February 11, 1843 Sanni Weniger. The most sacred of all duties. Lost time can never be found again. A child learns at a young age, that a mind is worth more than inheritance". Along with a windmill and other scattered motifs and numerals, two very small columns of addition (5 + 2 = 7 and 3 + 4 = 7) appear in the lower right quadrant, a delightful and unusual note. Worked in silk, wool and linen on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a 19th century rippled gilt frame.

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Sampler size: 8 1/z " x 9 W' Price: $1650.

Pair of samplers worked by Jessie A. Greening, England, 1850 and 1854 While it is likely that most schoolgirls worked more than one sampler, it is unusual to find a pair of samplers worked by the same hand which have remained together over the years. These two handsome pieces are the work of Jessie A. Greening. The smaller sampler features the crowns and coronets of royalty (King, Queen, Prince, Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Lord, Baron) and is signed "Jessie" in the center and dated 1850 at the end of the same line; the larger sampler includes 52 different needleworked borders or other designs with the inscription "J. A. Greening Jan A.D. 1854" inside a handsome bordered rectangle. Each worked in silk on wool, and in excellent condition. 1

Sampler sizes: 5 114'' x 8 14'' 7 314'' X 13 114'' Price for the two: $2600.

M.Finkel eJ Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Mary Jane McKaleb, Philadelphia, 1814 this large and exceptionally charming sampler is inscribed "Mary Jane McKaleb sampler made in the lOth year of her age 1814" and includes the following verse: ''Virtues the chiefest beauty of the mind The noblest ornament of human kind Virtues our safeguard and our guiding star That stirs up reason when out senses err" The highly vertical format allowed the samplermaker a generous central area for pictorial work, and she included a pair of Queens-stitched, strawberry-filled baskets and a large pot of flowers on a stepped-terrace lawn, images which appear repeatedly on high style samplers from the Philadelphia area at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries. The use of the Queens stitch for the strawberries and for the deep green inner border indicates the proficiency of both the teacher (who may have been represented by the initials "P P" which appear just above the strawberries) and the samplermaker. The Queens stitch was one of the most time consuming and difficult in a needleworkers' vocabulary of stitches. Mary Jane was actually only 9 years old when she worked this sampler. The phrasing "in the lOth year of her age" would correspond to 9 years old, as children were considered to be irt their first year for the first 12 months of their lives. The combination of color, design, and execution create a highly desirable example. Worked in silk on linen, it is conservation mounted and in excellent condition in a molded mahogany frame. Sampler size: 25 IN' x 17 IN' Price: $5200.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel

es Daughter.

Genealogical needlework samplers, often bearing the title "Family Record" or "Family Register," are prized for their form as well as their content. The first third of the 19th century saw a flowering of this style of sampler, well documented in the book Family Record, published by the D.A.R. in conjunction with a definitive exhibition at their Washington, D.C. headquarters in 1989. As pointed out in Family Record, "the majority ofAmerican examples were made in Massachusetts between 1810 and 1830" and we are pleased to offer two fine examples.

Susan H. Partridge, Medway, Massachusetts, 1832 Susan Harding Partridge was born April24, 1821 in Medway, Massachusetts, a small town southwest of Boston; she was the second of five children born to John and Susan (Turner) Partridge who married in 1819. On April 28, 1842, Susan married Merrick Elmer of Petersham, Massachusetts, and they settled in the town of Templeton where he was a boot maker. Their only child, Isabella Hammond Elmer, was born in 1851. The family register sampler that Susan worked in 1832, at age 11, is a well-balanced design with much attention lavished on its borders. The outer vine and flower border includes the buttonhole stitch at the center of each flower, and the inner border is richly worked in teal and yellow silk. This is a carefully worked and pristine example of this interesting genre. Silk on linen, excellent condition, conservation mounted into a mid 19th century gilt frame.

Sampler size: 16 W' x 16 1/4'' Price: $3800.

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Elizabeth Taylor, Stoughton, Massachusetts, 1814 1\velve-year-old Elizabeth Taylor worked her family register sampler in 1814 in the town of Stoughton, south of Boston, in Norfolk county. She was the 2nd child of John and Elizabeth (Bird) Taylor, born May 31, 1802, and in 1822 married Moses Bullard of Medfield, a small town in Norfolk county. Their three daughters and one son were born in Medfield between 1823 and 1830. This family register sampler served not only to document the births of the John and Elizabeth Taylor family, but to memorialize the early deaths of the parents. 1\vo small urns with their initials ("I" was used to indicate "I" and "J" in the 18th and early 19th centuries) were worked along the bottom of the sampler, each with a tree and oversized bird. The bands of needlework separating the rows of alphabets and the overall borders are quite handsome and the liberal use of teal blue is quite appealing. Silk on linen, excellent condition, mounted into a terrific half-spindle cherry and curly maple frame. Sampler size: 16 W' x 16 W' Price: $4600.

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

24 Statehouse or Courthouse, unfinished, American, circa 1815 This exemplary architectural rendering of an impressive public building was worked by an unknown needleworker. After completing what was clearly the most difficult portion of her sampler, she must have set aside this project and did not complete her alphabets, verse or inscription. The highly-detailed building was, no doubt, patterned after a state house or courthouse and demonstrated the proficiency of the samplermaker; it is an accomplishment in its own right. Silk on linen, conservation mounted into an early 19th century corner block frame with original black paint. Sampler size: 6 W' x 13 W' Price: $950.

Clarissa Kimball, miniature sampler, Bradford, Massachusetts, 1795 A nine-year-old girl from a prominent, early family in Bradford, Massachusetts (across the river from Haverhill and later incorporated into the same) worked this endearing miniature marking sampler and inscribed it, "Clarissa Kimball aged 9 year 1795." Her first name was worked using the archaic long form of the letter "s", a practice which one often finds in 18th century samplers. The samplermaker was born September 24, 1786, the 9th of the eleven children of Daniel Kimball, a fifth generation resident of Massachusetts, and his wife Elizabeth Tenney. Daniel Kimball was a highly successful farmer, town treasurer and selectman. Clarissa married the Rev. William Ritchie of Needham, Massachusetts, and their son John was born in 1825. Clarissa died in Needham in 1855 and her sampler descended in the family. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a 19th century black painted frame. Sampler size: 4W' square Price: $1450.

M.Finkel G Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Charlotte Beck, Pine Grove School, Burlington County, N.J., 1811 The impressive four-story, fourchimney building which dominates this sampler is an unmistakable depiction of the Westtown School in Chester County, Pennsylvania and may confuse even a knowledgeable collector or scholar, since the samplermaker inscribed the name of the Pine Grove Shool [sic] onto this work. The Pine Grove School opened its doors in 1792 near present-day Evesham, N.J. and operated until at least 1830. According to Betty Ring in Girlhood Embroidery, vol. II page 480, "The Westtown School was a logical subject for sampler embroidery at Quaker schools, since it was an impressive structure housing a much respected institution that many Quaker children aspired to attend." In fact, a number of samplers worked at different Quaker Schools in Burlington county are known to include this building. Charlotte Beck's sampler, however, is the only known work of the Pine Grove School to depict the Westtown School. For further information concerning Pine Grove School, please refer to Girlhood Embroidery, volume II, page 485. Charlotte Beck, as stated on her sampler, was born December 21, 1797, the daughter of Samuel and Charlotte Beck of Evesham Township, Burlington County, New Jersey. She married William Vinicomb and they were the parents of one child, a daughter Rebecca Vinicomb, born in 1827. Charlotte died a widow in 1868 in Camden County, New Jersey, and is buried at the Cropwell Meetinghouse. Worked in silk on linen, excellent condition, conservation mounted into a figured cherry frame. Sampler size: 16 114'' X 12 1!2'' Price: $5200.

(detail)

AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

Dorcas Hannah Mewbum, Yorkshire, England, 1830 In keeping with the tradition of English schoolgirls for more than a century before this work was completed, Dorcas Hannah Mewburn worked her sampler in 1830, with alphabets, numerical progressions, pious quotations and a pictorial band of birds and trees. It is surrounded by a crisp Greek key border and inscribed "Dorcas Hannah Mewburns 11th year 1830." The initials of her parents, Robert and Mary Mewburn, appear as line-end elements after her second alphabet. Records indicate that the samplermaker lived in the tiny village of Stainton-in-Cleveland in the hills of Yorkshire, England, where she was christened on April 18, 1820. This charming and classic sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a beveled bird's eye maple frame with a gilt liner. Sampler size: 12 W' x 9 W' Price: $1650.

Christian Geissinger, Pennsylvania, 1839 Samplers worked by males are considered to be quite rare. In fact, we have only owned a very few in our many years in this field. This sampler is signed by Christian Geissinger (the second "s" is in the archaic long form and renders the last name a bit difficult to decipher) and dated 1839. The footed bowl filled with flowers and the border of large-blossomed flowers were all worked in the cross-stitch; it would be highly unusual to find a male samplermaker demonstrating proficiency in more complex stitches. The border is reminiscent of samplers from Montgomery and Lehigh counties. The characteristics, when combined with the palette of colors and Germanic last name, all suggest a Pennsylvania origin. Wool on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a beveled mahogany frame with ebony beads. Sampler size: 15 3/4'' square Price: $2850.

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Darning Samplers, Female Model School, Dublin, Ireland, mid-19th century By the middle of the 19th century, schoolgirls were learning practical needlework skills by forming small "books" in which they perfected different techniques. They would fabricate small linen squares of approximately 4", on which they would demonstrate buttonholes, edgings and darnings. It is our experience that the most interesting form of this work is the darning sampler, and we are pleased to offer a group of four which were obviously worked by the same young lady. The center of each piece of linen would have been cut away and the student would have to prove her skills by reproducing specific patterns; warps and wefts were tightly worked to form geometric designs. The Norfolk Museum Service owns identical examples which are documented as examples from the Female Model School in Kildare Place, Dublin, a school very highly regarded for its needlework. Refer to Samplers, by Pamela Clabbum, page 36 , for the examples from the Norfolk Museum. These four examples are in excellent condition, worked in silk on linen, conservation mounted into a mid-19th century mahogany veneer frame. Overall sight size: 9 W' x 9 114'' Price: $2200.

Miniature Silk Embroidery, American, circa 1810 While miniature paintings on ivory and paper from the 18th and early 19th century survive in abundant numbers, needleworked miniatures are quite rare. This diminutive gem, the oval of which measures 3" x 3W', is a generic memorial piece, in keeping with the popularity of mourning art at that time. According to scholar Anita Schorsch in Mourning Becomes America, "The death of Washington on December 14, 1799, set into motion the first display of national mourning in the history of the young republic ... (and) gave impetus to the development of mourning art in America". A young lady drapes a garland of flowers around an obelisk-like tomb. At the left, leaves of a tree are fullyworked in French knots and the tiny, two-chimney house in the background is needleworked as well. The sky and the young lady's head were painted onto the silk. The reverse paint glass and frame are later replacements. Excellent condition. Overall size: 5" x 5 W' Price: $2850. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel e:J Daughter.

28 Mary A. P. Baird, Coatesville, Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1834

Samplers worked in Chester County, Pennsylvania in the 1820's and 1830's are characterized by their large scale and impressive, showy workmanship. This praiseworthy example by Mary A. P. Baird fits squarely into this tradition. The outer border features Queens stitch strawberries on a precise and rhythmic vine and the inner borders of grape leaves, grape clusters and tendrils is delicately worked. The bouquet of flowers is beautifully shaded and the blue and green silks used throughout the sampler are particularly lustrous. The samplermaker accomplished her work at a school in the town of Coatesville; we have previously offered another very similar sampler worked at the same school which we included in our Samplings, Volume X, page 14. Our research to identify the samplermaker reveals that in 1842 Mary A. P. Baird was enrolled at the Hephzibah School, a small Baptist school in the tiny religious community of Hephzibah, just one mile south of Coatesville. Research continues so that hopefully we may provide other information about this young lady. The sampler is in excellent condition with one very small area of weakness, conservation mounted into a curly maple frame with an ebony bead. Sampler size: 20 W' x 21" Price: $6850.

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

Mary Jane Glenn, attributed to Henrico County, Virginia, 1831 (d~tail)

We are extremely fortunate to have acquired this outstanding sampler which came to us with a history of its Virginia family origins. According to Betty Ring in American Needlework Treasures, "Samplers and pictorial embroideries survive from the South in far lower numbers than from the North -- a circumstance that has baffled scholars and collectors throughout the twentieth century." Our research led us to the family of Thomas J. Glenn and Ann Mills Glenn of Henrico County, Virginia, which includes the city of Richmond; Mary Jane Glenn was born circa 1820. Further research is being conducted which we hope will result in greater detail about this samplermaker.and her family

There exists a charming naivete to this sampler which stems from the illustrative quality of the scene and the simplicity of the verses entitled respectively "Faith," "Hope," and "Charity". A two-part brick house sits upon a tri-colored landscape, and the larger part has a low-hipped roof line, consistent with those depicted on other Virginia samplers (see Kim Smith Ivey's In the Neatest Manner: The Making of the Virginia Sampler, pages 93 and 95). Four small figures are engaged in the business of tending to plants and animals; of particular note is the lady in a brown dress feeding the chickens. The two diamond-shaped trees are also indigenous to the samplermaking traditions of Washington, D.C .and Virginia. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in very good condition with some minor darkened areas, conservation mounted with tru-vue glass into a mahogany frame with maple inlay. Sampler size: 16 lfz'' x 20 114'' Price: $8200.

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AMERICA's LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

Adam and Eve, England, circa 1800 The subject of Adam and Eve has been a popular one with needleworkers for many centuries and this English example, dating circa 1800, presents the couple on a hill densely populated with deer, dogs and other animals. In the tradition of early canvaswork, the stitches include the tent, satin, cross and whip stitches with an overlay of chain stitch on the serpent. The apple tree is unusually large and fills the picture with diamond-shaped leaves and two-tone apples. Five silvery birds surround the tree, completing the picture. Worked in silk on wool, it is in very good condition with loss to some of the wool, conservation mounted into a later bird's eye maple frame with a gilt liner. Sampler size: 11 W' x 8" Price: $3400.

H. S., Scotland, circa 1790 A carefully rendered Georgian brick house provides the focus for this handsome Scottish sampler. This building is surrounded by various depictions of animals and birds, including wild turkeys, and the initials of the samplermaker appear above one of the turkeys. The large alphabet was quite delicately worked in the classic Scottish curlique style (see Betty Ring, American Needlework Treasures, page 3, for a similar example of this alphabet). The twotone vine and flower border provides a handsome border for this sampler. Worked in silk, wool and linen on linen, it has been conservation mounted and is in excellent condition in a 19th century grain painted frame. Sampler size: 15" x 16" Price: $3250.

M.Finkel

es Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

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Map of Europe, Ann Neate, Caine, England, circa 1800

This striking and meticulously worked Map of Europe is an excellent example of the extremely fine silk embroidery that was produced in England at the end of the 18th century. As both a tool for learning geography and a format for exhibiting mastery of needlework skills, this form has enormous appeal. The lettering is so clearly and finely stitched as to appear drawn in ink. The colored boundaries of the counties and the delicate floral border seem to have been painted, but in fact, it was all worked with needle and thread by an obviously talented young lady. An inscription on the reverse of the frame indicates that the maker was Ann Neate, of the area east of Bath, England and that her work dates circa 1800. This silk embroidery is extremely similar to the late 18th century map embroidery published as plate 47 in Samplers, the Fitzwilliam Museum Handbook. Both silk embroideries feature the identical map and same small vignette of two gentlemen, one on horseback, placed up in the Northern Ocean. It is clear that these two silk embroideries were produced under the guidance of the same teacher. Worked in silk on silk, it is in overall excellent condition with some slight wear to the left of Asiatic Turkey. It is in its fine original carved gilt frame. Size of the oval: 16 W' x 1411 Price: $2850.

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AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

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M.Finkel ~Daughter.

Conservation Mounting Of Antique Samplers and Needlework Because of the important role that condition plays in the field of antique samplers and needlework, we strive to insure that these pieces undergo proper preservation while in our care. Below is a step-bystep description of the "conservation mounting" process. Our techniques are simple and straightforward; we remove the dust and dirt particles mechanically, never wet-cleaning the textiles. We use only acid-free materials and museum-approved techniques throughout the process. Please call us if you have any questions in this regard. 0

Carefully clean the piece using our special vacuum process.

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 trueVueÂŽConservation 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.

M.Finkel ~Daughter.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

SELECTED NEEDLEWORK BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, Gloria Seaman. Family Record Genealogical Watercolors and Needlework. Washington, DC: DAR Museum, 1989. Bolton, Ethel Stanwood and Coe, Eve Johnston. American Samplers. Boston: The Massachusetts Society of the Colonial Dames of America, 1921. Brooke, Xanthe. Catalogue of Embroideries. The Lady Lever Art 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 Heritage Center Museum of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1996. Hersh, Tandy and Charles. Samplers of the Pennsylvania Germans. Birdsboro, PA: Pennsylvania German Society, 1991 Humphrey, Carol. Samplers, Fitzwilliam Museum Handbooks. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Ivey, Kimberly Smith. In the Neatest Manner: The Making of the Virginia Sampler Tradition. Colonial Williamsburg and Curious Works Press, 1997 Krueger, Glee FA Gallery of American Samplers: The Theodore H Kapnek Collection. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1978. New England Samplers to 1840 Sturbridge, Mass.: Old Sturbridge Village, 1978. Ring, Betty. American Needlework Treasures. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1987. Girlhood Embroidery: American Samplers & Pictorial Needlework, 1650-1850. Knopf, 1993. Let Virtue be a Guide to Thee: Needlework in the Education of Rhode Island Women, 1730-1820. Providence: The Rhode Island Historical Society, 1983. Schiffer, Margaret B. Historical Needlework of Pennsylvania. New York. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1968. Schorsch, Anita. Mourning Becomes America: Mourning Art in the New Nation. Clinton, New Jersey: The Main Street Press, 1976. Studebaker, Sue. Ohio Samplers, School Girl Embroideries 1803-1850. Warren County Historical Society, 1988. Swan, Susan B. A Winterthur Guide to American Needlework. New York: Crown Publishers, 1976. Plain and Fancy: American Women and Their Needlework, 1700-1850, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1977.

AMERICA'S LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER

M.Finkel ~Daughter.