VOLUME XXIII
A SELECTED OFFERING OF ANTIQUE SAMPLERS AND NEEDLEWORK
est. 1947
M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AMERICA'S LEADING ANTIQUE SAMPLER & NEEDLEWORK DEALER
936 Pine Street. Philadelphia. Pennsylvania. 19107-6128 215-627-7797.800-598-7432. fax 215-627-8199 www.samplings.com
Please visit our website: www.samplings.com
detail of sampler by Eleanor Jenks, 1706, page 10
Copyright Š 2003 by M Finkel & Daughter, Inc All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without the permission in writing from M Finkel & Daughter, Inc Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
¡e hope that you enjoy this catalogue, which is our 23rd issue; we thank all of you for your continued and growing interest in this field. The field of schoolgirl samplers and needlework provides fascinating opportunities to collectors. A sampler acts as a window into the specific history of a young girl, her family, a teacher, a town, a region and a tradition, and as such provides us with unusual insight. It goes without saying that samplers, from a simple marking piece to an elaborate scene, are also extremely visually appealing. They provide graphic needleworked pictures, each with a remarkable texture and individuality. Each of our samplers has been fully researched and documented; it is well-known that we both conduct ourselves and have others engage in intensive genealogical research and often achieve important results. When we describe a sampler or silk embroidery, we frequently refer to a number of fine books that have been written in this field. A selected bibliography is included at the end of the catalogue and is updated regularly. If any of these books prove difficult to procure, let us know and perhaps we can assist in locating them. We also include a description page about our conservation methods and encourage you to call us with any questions in this area. This year marks the 57th anniversary of the founding of our firm. We continue to value our positive relationship with clients, many of whom are now second generation, and strive to maintain our commitment to customer service. Buying antiques should be based in large measure on trust and confidence, and we try to treat each customer as we ourselves like to be treated. We operate by appointment and are at the shop five days a week, except when we are exhibiting at out-of-town antique shows. Please let us know of your plans to visit us. We suggest that you contact us in a timely fashion if one or more of our samplers is of interest to you. Should your choice be unavailable, we suggest that you discuss your collecting objectives with any one of us. Our inventory is extensive, and we have many items not included in our catalogue. Moreover, through our sources, we may be able to locate the sampler that you are looking for; you will find us knowledgeable and helpful. Payment may be made by check, VISA, Mastercard, or American Express, and we ask for payment with your order. Pennsylvania residents should add 6% sales tax. All items are sold with a five day return privilege. Expert packing is included: shipping and insurance cost are extra. We prefer to ship via UPS second day air or Federal Express insured. We look forward to your phone calls and your interest.
www.samplings.com Please check our website for frequent updates
Amy Finkel Morris Finkel Mary Mills mailbox@samplings.com 800-598-7432
Are you interested in selling? We are constantly purchasing antique samplers and needlework, and would like to know what you have for sale. We can purchase outright or act as your agent. Photographs sent to us will receive our prompt attention. Call us for more information.
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M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF CONTENTS Band Sampler, England, 1659............................................................................................................................................. page 17 Basket of Flowers, New York Silk Embroidery, circa 1830............................................................................... page 9 Biblical Hebrew sampler on paper, American, late 19th century................................................................. page 24 Maria Blake, Ackworth School, England, 1818 ....................................................................................................... page 31 Mary Boswell, England, circa 1810 .................................................................................................................................. page 30 Charlotte McLeod Bowles, Quebec, Canada, dated 1857. ................................................................................... page 30 Bristol Orphanage Sampler, Bristol, England, circa 1870................................................................................ page 29 Harriet Brouard, Channel Islands, England, 1821... .............................................................................................. page 1 Bridget Brown, England, 1775 .......................................................................................................................................... page 12 Polly Campbell, Putney, Vermont, 1800....................................................................................................................... page 19 Elizabeth M. Coopeland, Mid-Atlantic States, American, 1821... ................................................................... page 7 Theodotia Davis, Palmer, Hampden County, Massachusetts, 1804.............................................................. page 13 Embroidered Stomacher, England, circa 1740......................................................................................................... page 5 Prudence Fairbanks, Dedham, Massachusetts, 1771 ......................................................................................... page 11 Hannah M. Ferry, "Lady Plenty", Palmer Massachusetts, 1803..................................................................... page 21 Flowers in a Delft Bowl, England, early 18th century. ........................................................................................ page 11 French Beadwork, A. Ville, 1838....................................................................................................................................... page 22 Lucy Gould and Sally Gould, Roxbury, Mass., 1806 and 1812........................................................................ page 2 Lucy C. Huckins, Madbury, New Hampshire, 1829 ............................................................................................... page 4 Lucy Hill Lambert, South Berwick, Maine, 1823 ................................................................................................... page 33 Eleanor Jenks, England, 1706 ............................................................................................................................................. page 10 Elizabeth Jenkins, St. Ninians, Scotland, 1836 ....................................................................................................... page 25 H. Jewitt, Darning Sampler, Bocking School, England, 1796 ........................................................................ page 14 Map Sampler of England and Wales, England, 1861... ......................................................................................... page 22 Hannah Mitchell, Acrostic Sampler, England, 1820............................................................................................. page 20 Milly Morrill, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1825....................................................................................................... page 27 "Noel" Silk Embroidery, France, circa 1810............................................................................................................... page 8 Ottoman with Victorian Needlework, 1886 ................................................................................................................ page 24 Margaret Parry, The Grand Suspension Bridge, Caernarvonshire, Wales, 1837................................. page 15 Cynthia Phelps, Wilton, New Hampshire, 1819 ......................................................................................................page 16 Pictorial Sampler, Holland, 1786...................................................................................................................................... page 12 Pair of Samplers by Sisters, Sarah and Eliza Plowman, England, 1837.................................................. page 26 Plushwork Spaniel, England, circa 1850 ..................................................................................................................... page 32 Pocket Watch Samplers, England, 1826 ...................................................................................................................... page 16 Lovina Reed, Pennsylvania, 1844 ..................................................................................................................................... page 23 Maria Robbins, Norfolk, Litchfield County, Connecticut, 1827..................................................................... page 3 Abigail Smith, Flushing Female Association School, 1821... .......................................................................... page 2 Lucy Stebbins, Bradford, Vermont, 1808 .................................................................................................................... page 1 Lydia Ann Walton, Bristol Boarding School, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1828 ............................. page 6 Clarissa Willard, Ashburnham, Massachusetts, 1812 ........................................................................................... page 20
M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
Lucy Stebbins, Bradford, Vermont, 1808
Occasionally one comes across a sampler that combines outstanding workmanship, highly appealing aesthetics and great rarity. Thus is the case with Lucy Stebbins' sampler worked in Bradford, Vermont. The composition features a prominent vase of exceptional flowers, fine borders of leafy vines with blossoms and a strong, deep green sawtooth edging. The top border is formed of swags with delicate bows and tassels incorporating Lucy's name and the year, 1808. Considerable skill would have been required to work on this extremely sheer linen and we can assume that a talented schoolteacher was working in this small town on the Connecticut River in the center of the state. The sampler includes an outstanding display of carefully-lettered alphabets and, interestingly, a row of ligatures and punctuation marks. The verse is one that upheld the values deemed important to the moral education of young ladies of the period and it reads, "They hold fast the golden mean/And live contentedly between/The little and the great feels not/ The want that pinch the poor/Nor plagues that haunt the rich mans door/Embittering all his state." As inscribed on the sampler, Lucy was born on June 31, 1796 in Bradford, Orange County, Vermont and she worked this sampler in 1808 when she was 12 years of age. Her father was Dr. Arad Stebbins (1759 - 1828) and her mother was Mary Kent of Newbury, Vermont. The Stebbins family descended from Rowland Stebbins (1594 - 1671) who arrived in Massachusetts in 1634, settling in Roxbury. According to The Stebbins Genealogy published in 1904, Dr. Arad Stebbins had been born in Winchester, NH, studied medicine and surgery and then set up practice in Bradford by 1790. In 1823, Lucy married Theodore Dame of Oxford, NH and they had one son and two daughters. She died in 1877 in Newbury, Vermont and her sampler descended in her family for many generations. Documented Vermont samplers are considered scarce and surface only infrequently; indeed, a comprehensive exhibition at the Bennington Museum in 1997 entitled "The First Efforts of My Infant Hand: Early Vermont Samplers" included only 22 examples. Lucy's sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a fine 19th century paint decorated frame, with conservation glass. Sampler size: 1514'' x 16Yz''
Price on request
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M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
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Abigail Smith, Flushing Female Association School, 1821 "A charming group of small samplers known as 'Female Association' samplers has survived from several New York For Mary P~.rsom- * mtmbtr of thr City schools operated by FlJUJVng f tYllile A~.tociaUon Quaker women ... between 1815 and 1826, children often made Tk ro.rt•.t a.gt is but. ~ dA)I, them as gifts for members of the Female It.s 1loorn tk: pl.tigt" ofi~.t dreay Association, and they Swnt. in its ~nt. mcolour kig1t were usually signed with It bl!!W.t at.morJI ani! fadeHt. ]light the name of the Female Association School where they were made," (Betty Ring, Vol II, p. 318, Girlhood Embroidery). Samplers of this type are 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. The majority are now in museums or important private collections. Most Female Association school samplers are from the New York City schools but a few have come to light from the Flushing Female Association, in Queens County, Long Island. The town of Flushing had an early Quaker population, with roots in the mid 17th century when a group of Friends came to Long Island from England and settled the area. We are pleased to be able to offer this rare and interesting example worked at the Flushing Female Association school in 1821. As noted by Betty Ring, most of the Female Association school samplers were made as gifts for the Quaker ladies who served on their boards. This praiseworthy example was worked within this tradition by Abigail Smith and is inscribed "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, and the file of documentation that accompanies this sampler includes photocopies of these Flushing Association minutes and further information regarding its members. The samplers made at these schools show a strong Quaker sensibility and specific Quaker motifs; they are all neatly composed and precisely worked, with pleasing effect. Worked in silk on linen, this example is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a walnut frame with pine inlay. Sampler size: 814'' x 10"
Price: $18,000.
M. Finkel e!S Daughter. AME RICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
Maria Robbins, Norfolk, Litchfield County, Conn., 1827 The far northwest corner of Connecticut is the origin of this sophisticated, beautifully worked sampler, which is signed "Maria Robbins Sampler mark'd at Norfolk Connecticut Sept 1827 aged 11 years"; in many ways it is one of the most intriguing and appealing samplers that we have come across in years. The four-line verse is a famous one, but one rarely found on schoolgirl needlework, and quotes The Rime of the
Ancient Mariner, Part the Seventh by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, published in1798. The lively scene along the bottom includes two stylish lionlike dogs tethered to trees, two sailing ships, many birds, animals, trees and plants near a small cottage. Potted flowers and fruit flank the Coleridge verse providing further embellishments and a row of queen's stitched strawberries appears above the verse. The Robbins family of America, according to the History of Norfolk Litchfield County, Connecticut 1744-1900, originated with Reverend Ammi Ruhameh Robbins who was born in 1740 and went on to marry and raise a large family in the area. Many descendents remained prominent citizens, active in town affairs. The samplermaker was obviously from a family whose circumstances allowed for an education at the finest school possible. While the birth of samplermaker Maria Robbins has been elusive, research has likely uncovered her marriage in 1831 to Aaron Gilbert. Photocopies of much information regarding the 1 Robbins family from the History of Norfolk accompany this sampler. Worked in silk on linen the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a beveled cherry frame :-'+·'-l·'-''"'' with conservation glass.
· Sampler size: 17Yz'' x 16"
Price: $22,000.
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Lucy C. Huckins, Madbury, New Hampshire, 1829
Lucy Cate Huckins was thirteen years old when she worked this lovely sampler in Madbury, a small town in southern New Hampshire located just southwest of Dover; according to family documentation she attended the Austin Cate Academy at that time. Quite fortunately three fine bedlinens, stitched with a monogram of Lucy's initials and some with inventory numbers have descended with the sampler and will remain with it. Lucy married in 1846 and these linens were likely prepared by her for that occasion, using, of course, the needleworking skills that she learned in school. Lucy was born on March 3, 1816 to a farmer, John Huckins, and his wife Mary (Locke) Huckins both of whom were from Madbury. She was the eldest of their five children, married Durrell Chamberlain and they lived in nearby New Durham where their three children were liiiiillll;iilllliliiiiii=lliliiiliil,;;i;i~~l:lii...;;;~ born. Lucy died in 1903 and her sampler and linens descended to her granddaughter Lucie H. Chamberlain. The sampler boasts a splendid border of open-blossom white flowers with tiny bouquets of flowers caught by bowknots. Lucy included a verse on her sampler that was one of the most popular early 19th cen~-~~-lillllll.-iilii;i~iioii.... tury poems to appear on schoolgirl needlework.
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Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a beveled cherry frame with conservation glass. Sampler size: 17%" square
Price: $5200.
linens marked by Lucy Huckins
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Embroidered Stomacher, England, circa 17 40 Fashionable American and English ladies of the 18th century wore stomachers, decorative fabric panels that formed the center portion of the bodice of a gown, emphasizing the cone shape desirable in the female bodice of that period. These could be plain, printed, or, occasionally, embroidered and of course these needleworked examples are quite desirable. This is an outstanding stomacher with its richly worked composition of a decorated two-handled urn holding a graceful display of flowers, set against a quilted background. A fine new publication from Colonial Williamsburg, What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America by Linda Baumgarten discusses this form and illustrates several stomachers, both printed and embroidered, as figures 19 and 162. The example that we offer is obviously reminiscent of the many tent-stitched pictures of the same period in subject and composition. Worked in silk on back-stitched quilted silk, it is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into an 18th century frame. Size of the stomacher: 10" high
Framed size: 1514" x 13"
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Price: $14,500.
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Lydia Ann Walton, Bristol Boarding School, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1828 In 1828 Lydia Ann Walton, an eighteen-year-old Quaker girl from Byberry, Pennsylvania worked this splendid sampler while a student at the Bristol Boarding School in nearby Bucks County. Born in 1810, Lydia was the daughter of Josiah and Phebe (Millhouse) Walton, members of the Byberry Friends Meeting. In January of 1826 she entered the Westtown School in Chester County, a large and extremely well regarded Friends boarding school that emphasized needlework as a part of the curriculum of its female students. Lydia's education obviously continued closer to home at the Bristol Boarding School which produced only a handful of known samplers. Quaker records from that period indicate payment rendered from the "schoolman of the Borough of Bristol" to Ann Eliza West, a teacher who may have been instructing Lydia. This beautifully realized sampler features a verse worked in faultlessly rendered black lettering with an unusual surround of grape bunches on a leafy tendrilled grape vine. A neat satin-stitched lawn forms the base of the sampler with baskets of fruit, branches of flowers and fruit, some caught with bowknots, and miniature birds on boughs. A particularly lustrous blossom anchors the top border at the center and is reminiscent of a similar design element found on Westtown samplers. This is a sampler that clearly documents the skills of a well-educated young lady. In 1834 Lydia Ann Walton married Benjamin Cadwallader and they became the parents of four children between 1837 and 1847, residing on 132 acres near Byberry, land inherited from the Cadwallader family. This sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into its fine original frame with conservation glass. Sampler size: 1614'' x 1714''
Price: $11,500.
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M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AMERICA's LEADI. a sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
Elizabeth M. Coopeland, Mid-Atlantic States, 1821
This is an exceptional sampler that may be judged for both aesthetics and technique and would receive top marks in both categories. Worked in 1821, it was signed by Elizabeth M. Coopeland and exhibits definite Quaker influence in its many motifs and designs; it is likely to be from the mid-Atlantic states where many fine Quaker schools existed in the first decades of the 19th century. Elizabeth named four family members on her sampler and so genealogical research may well reveal much about this family and the samplermaker. The sampler is dominated by a large and impressive house worked fully in the Queen's stitch - a stitch that is difficult to accomplish, requiring remarkable skill and an inordinate amount of time and silk thread. Indeed, Susan B. Swan in Plain & Fancy: American Women and Their Needlework 1700 - 1850 indicates that the use of the Queen's stitch was limited to very small areas and generally found on 18th century needlework. The actual view of this house is also unusual and it may be that Elizabeth depicted the gable end of the building rather than the far more traditional front view. The windows and door are shown in great detail and the house sits on a deep blue foundation on a deep green lawn with stylized trees. The overall effect of this sampler is splendid. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted in a cherry cornerblock frame with conservation glass. Sampler size: 19W' x 17"
Price: $16,000.
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"Noel" Silk Embroidery, France, circa 1810
This silk embroidered picture is an unusual celebration of a religious holiday, combining both inscription and ornament in a highly appealing and harmonious fashion. Two sashed heralding angels present tablets worked with couched metallic coiled threads and entitled "Noel" that proclaim in French as follows: "It is here the happy village which witnessed His birth under its roof. Let us pay Him a tender tribute from our hearts and with our voices." A lush pair of tasseled draperies and a delicate garland of flowers and buds provide decoration with a wondrous little creche scene, complete with donkey, stitched below. Glimpses of the village appear below the angels and the Star of Bethlehem in metallic sequins surmounts the tablets. The anonymous young needleworker was trying to succeed in both thought and execution as noted in the endearing inscription that appears on the blue banner which forms the bottom of the oval and is attached by bowknots. This translates as, "From my heart, in my feelings I pay tribute to You. It is all one can do at my age." There is a na¡ive and perhaps provincial quality to this piece, evidenced in the sentiment and lettering as well as the images. An outstanding framework of white flower blossoms and shaded leaves on raised thorny branches completes the composition. This silk embroidery is unlike any other that we have known and offers much to admire. It was worked in silk, chenille, metallic threads, sequins, and paint on silk as well as paper faces and is in very good condition with very slight loss to the silk. The gold leaf frame is from the later 19th century. Size of the embroidery: 13Yz'' x 14"
Price: $6800.
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Basket of Flowers, silk embroidery with labeled frame, New York, circa 1830 This elegant large silk embroidery presents a stunning display of roses, anemone, "love-in-a-mist," and other flowers along with acorns, wild grasses and foliage tucked into a delicate woven basket with a swagged base and a slender handle, all centered in a finely detailed floral wreath. Needleworkers favored flower baskets as a subject because the variety of textures offered an opportunity for them to display their skill and knowledge of a wide vocabulary of stitches. Here the needleworker deftly executed a variety of stitches using silk and silk chenille in a painterly fashion; the fine details include French knots to give texture to the lawn and watercolor to create depth and shading in the basket. Both the composition and superior craftsmanship seem to reflect the influence of 18th and early 19th century Moravian needlework. This piece remains in excellent condition in its outstanding original gilt frame, which has a rich textured surface with bold dimensional corner elements. Significantly, the original framer's label remains on the back, "S. Underwood, Looking Glass & Picture Frame Manufactory, 186 Fulton Street, New York, Carving & Gilding." S. Underwood was Sarah Underwood, who was born in England circa 1800 and was the widow of frame maker, Thomas Underwood, as cited in "Checklist of Looking-Glass and Frame Makers and Merchants Known by Their Labels" by Betty Ring, The Magazine Antiques, May, 1981.
Sight size: 17" x 18"
Framed size: 22W' x 23"
Price: $22,000.
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Eleanor Jenks, England, 1706 This well-worked English band sampler is signed "Finish October 16 1706 Eleanor Jenks" and includes two most unusual depictions: the Pelican in her Piety and a crown with the initials of Queen Anne. The large blue Pelican is shown with a stream of blood connecting her three chicks to her breast, imagery that refers to a story from the Middle Ages in which a pelican was thought to pierce her breast to feed her blood to her young, evoking Jesus Christ who shed his blood in a similar fashion. This image appeared in medieval heraldry and can be found occasionally on early samplers and needlework. The large crown in the lower band is flanked by the initials "AR" which stand for Anne Regina; Queen Anne's reign only lasted from 1702 to 1714 and it is quite rare to find her specifically honored on a sampler. The large recumbent stag, another motif central to this sampler, has a long tradition as a design on needlework, originating at the beginning of the 17th century with pattern books published in Germany. The geometric bands near the top of the sampler are of classic English design and very similar to those which influenced American sampler design and began to appear on Philadelphia samplers of the 1740's. Worked in silk on linen this sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a black painted frame with a gilt liner. Sampler size: 18" x 81;4''
Price: $6200.
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EEDLEWORK DEALER
Flowers in a Delft Bowl, England, early 18th century Throughout the centuries English needleworkers have favored depictions of flower arrangements, in keeping with the English passion for gardening. This delightful small canvaswork picture features an excellent variety of blossoms springing from a handsome blue and white Delft bowl, typical of the sort that would have been found in refined English homes in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Richly colored silk and wool, with some later replacement wool, form an appealing palette for this splendid piece. Worked in silk and wool on linen canvas, it is in very good condition, conservation mounted into an 18th century frame. Sight size: 8W' x 9W' Price: $4800.
Prudence Fairbanks, Dedham, Massachusetts, 1771 This is a handsome colonial American marking sampler with a splendid inscription that reads as follows: "Prudenc Fairbanks is my name and my nedle I wrought the same If my skill had been better I should have mended every letter 1771." Variations of this charming two-line verse have been found on early samplers from both England and America. It has become increasingly difficult to find any documented American samplers from the pre-revolutionary period, rendering this example even more desirable. Prudence was born in 1760, the 2nd of the 6 children of Ebenezer and Prudence (Farrington) Fairbanks of Dedham, a small town in Norfolk Co., 10 miles southwest of Boston. Ebenezer was a prominent citizen of the town and served in the Revolutionary War. Prudence worked this sampler at age 11 and later married Nathaniel Davis of Boston, and after his death, Capt. Eliphalet Pond of Dedham. The sampler was worked in a handsome palette of polychrome silk on linen and is in excellent condition with very slight loss, and is now conservation mounted into a cherry and maple frame. Sampler size: 14" x 7 W'
Price: $3400.
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M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
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Pictorial Motif Sampler, Holland, 1786 We continue to find excellent samplers worked in the Netherlands and are pleased to offer this 18th century example from the Gelderland province. Dutch samplers often include many images and pictorial motifs that held widely accepted specific meanings and had been used by samplermakers for centuries. Amongst those included , on this sampler are the grapebearers, or Spies of Canaan, in 18th century period costume, the Dutch Lion (a lion holding a sword in its right paw and a : bunch of arrows in its left, standing atop a fence), a symbol of strength and courage, the caged parrot, and the tulips, symbols of perfect love. An excellent source for these patterns and their meanings is a book entitled Embroidery Motifs from Dutch Samplers by A. Meulenbelt-Nieuwburg. In keeping with the majority of Dutch needleworkers, this young lady did not include her name on her sampler but worked many sets of initials that appear along with alphabets and a crest at the upper left. The work was accomplished in tight cross-stitches in a lovely palette of golds, blues, yellows, green and deep red. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a fine 19th century gold leaf frame. Sampler size: 9W' x 15"
Price: $3200.
Bridget Brown, England, 1775 Rarely do we find small samplers with as much appeal as this example worked by Bridget Brown. The variation of subtle colors-pink, blue, yellow, green, and red-used in the alphabets and horizontal borders give the sampler a childlike quality, but the stylized trees and undulating strawberry border anchor the strong design. Bridget inscribed an endearing verse, "How happy shall I be I My dear Papa to see," which allows us to easily imagine this young girl sitting by a window, working her sampler and longing for her beloved father. We can only speculate as to his whereabouts, but the date 1775 leads us to wonder if Bridget's father may have been a soldier on duty in the American colonies. Worked in silk on wool the sampler retains its excellent color and is in very good condition with a little loss to the wool just outside the border. It is conservation mounted in a rosewood veneer frame with gold liner.
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Sampler size: 5%" square
Price: $3850.
M. Finkel e:J Daughter. AMERICA's LEADI.: c sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
Theodotia Davis, Palmer, Hampden County, Massachusetts, 1804
We are pleased to offer this outstanding sampler on which the maker, Theodotia Davis of Palmer, Massachusetts, states that she finished it in "1804 in the 28th year of our independence." This highly unusual and appealing inscription offers a glimpse into the patriotism that colored the early years of the new republic. Theodotia's sampler features a handsome scene in which a highly detailed Federal house, with a fanlight and mullioned windows and a fenced and gated front yard, sits upon a sloping lawn. Birds, trees, baskets of fruit, a pot of flowers and a dog decorate the hill. The samplermaker credits her instructresses, L. C. Stone and A. H., who must have been highly accomplished teachers as this sampler indicates an advanced level of workmanship. We are hopeful that scholars at Old Sturbridge Village, who are currently researching samplers of this area, will uncover information regarding these teachers. Theodotia was born January 20, 1793, eighth of the eleven children of Nathan and Marancy Davis. She grew up in Palmer, Hampden County, where her father practiced medicine and was recognized for his knowledge of Latin botanical names and use of medicinal herbs and roots. An 1889 publication, History of the Town of Palmer, includes a section on the Davis family, which had settled in the area by 1750. A file of research accompanies this fine sampler. Worked in silk on wool, the sampler is conservation . mounted in a black molded frame with conservation glass ::¡ and is in very good condition with a few small holes to the - wool and a few lost stitches. Price: $14,500.
(detail) AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel e; Daughter.
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H. Jewitt, Darning Sampler, Hocking, England, 1796
Darning samplers are considered by many to be one of the most desirable of all types of needlework, as they can present a stunning graphic while demonstrating very sophisticated and refined techniques. Students were taught to recreate specific weave structures and the darning samplers were proof of their splendid accomplishments. This brilliant 18th century example is one of only two known to have been worked at the Bocking School, which was in Essex, approximately 40 miles from London. The other Bocking sampler, dated 1799, is published as figure 124 in Averil Colby's Samplers and closely resembles this example by H. Jewitt. The two samplers attest to the considerable skill of the Bocking School teacher. Worked in silk on sheer linen, the sampler is in excellent condition with a few broken threads and has been conservation mounted into a black molded and painted frame with conservation glass. Sampler size: 13Yz" square
Price: $7800.
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c sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
Margaret Parry, The Grand Suspension Bridge, Caemarvonshire, Wales, 1837
Occasionally schoolgirls recorded important public works on their samplers and we are very pleased to be able to offer such an example. This is an exceptionally fine and rare sampler, both a visual treat and a fascinating document of the importance that progress played in the life of a region and its populace. The inscription in the center cartouche reads, "A View of the Grand Suspension Bridge over the Menia Strait near Bangor Caernarvonshire." The Menai Strait is a channel of the Irish Sea between the island of Anglsea and the town of Caernarvon in Northern Wales. January 30, 1826 was the date of the opening of a hugely important feat of engineering and building, the Menai Suspension Bridge, designed by Sir Thomas Telford and celebrated throughout the British Isles for many years. Facts regarding the construction of the bridge were learned by school children; indeed Margaret Parry, the maker of this sampler, inscribed along the bottom the following information: "Extreme Length of Chains from the fastenings on the rock 1714 feet. Height of the Roadway from the high water mark 100 feet." Clearly this bridge engendered an enormous amount of regional pride. ¡¡ A bustling scene is depicted on this large-scale sampler: sailboats and rowboats filled with people appear on the water while country folk and a large dog stand on the shore. A horse-drawn carriage crosses the bridge which itself was composed so as to convey both its mass and its delicacy. It's likely that the maker, Margaret Parry, lived or attended school in St. Asaph, (inscribed at the end of the line along the bottom), a small area town when she took on this ambitious project.
Sampler size: 17Y/' x 27Y/'
Worked in silk on linen, this sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a figured maple frame with a gilt liner. Price: $9400.
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M. Finkel e; Daughter.
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Pocket Watch Samplers, England, 1826
There existed in England, in the first decades of the 19th century, a charming tradition: needleworkers fashioned tiny circular samplers to fit inside the covers of gentlemens' pocket watches. They were frequently decorated with tiny motifs such as baskets, flowers, and geometric designs. Occasionally they were framed within the period so that they could be enjoyed independently of the pocket watches as was the case with this fine pair worked in 1826 and initialed "HC." They are each in excellent condition, worked in silk on linen and in their original reeded black frames. Size: each 2" in diameter
Price for the pair: $2800.
Cynthia Phelps, Wilton, N.H., 1819 Wilton, New Hampshire, a small town in the southern part of the state, 37 miles southwest of Concord, was where the Phelps family resided in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The History of the Town of Wilton, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, published in 1888, documents this family and the birth of this samplermaker in 1803 to John and Abigail (Sterns) Phelps. Cynthia was the 8th of their 12 children. At the age of 13, she completed this well-made sampler with its alphabets, handsome flowers, sawtooth borders and drawn-work edging. In 1831, Cynthia married John Frye, a farmer and county superintendent, and they raised three children in Wilton. The open-faced flowers that embellish her sampler are typical of the excellent sampler design found on many fine samplers from this area. Other decorative devices found on Cynthia's sampler are the upright queen's stitch strawberries and the eyelet stitch uppercase inscription letters. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a cherry frame. Sampler size: 9W' x 16"
Price: $3850.
M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AMERrcA¡s LEADr~G sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
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Band Sampler, England, 1659
Young girls from wealthy families worked some extremely fine band samplers in the third quarter of the seventeenth century and it is a rare privilege to offer this exceptional example. Completed in 1659, it features two crowned female figures and two large flowers worked in the detached buttonhole stitch as well as couched metallic-wrapped threads and many other sophisticated stitches and techniques, all of them worked so that the sampler would be considered reversible. In both design and execution this is a most impressive example. This sampler very closely resembles one worked in 1650, which is in the collection of the National Museum of Scotland. Both feature the same pair of crowned ladies flanking the Tudor Rose surmounted by a crown, a pair of lions and the initials "ER," presumed to be a posthumous show of respect for the Queen, Elizabeth Regina. Interestingly, our 1659 example was itself on loan to the National Museum of Scotland for many years and is illustrated in Textile Treasures: An Introduction to European Decorative Textiles for Home and Church in the National Museums of Scotland by Naomi Tarrant, on page 33, opposite its 1650 mate. These two samplermakers were obviously taught by the same teacher. Kathleen Epstein Staples has also published this sampler in "Some honest worke in hand ..." English Samplers from the Seventeenth Century as plate 3. Family initials TF, IF, MF, and EF were inscribed along the bottom line in addition to the date and the numeral 7 which is assumed to indicate the age of the maker. Although it seems difficult to imagine, scholars have documented many of these highly skilled samplermakers to have been between the ages of 7 and 11. Worked in silk and metallic thread on linen, this sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted with conservation glass into a fine reproduction frame with a sanded gold leaf liner. Sampler size: 41" x 8"
Price: $28,500.
(see back cover for a detail of this sampler)
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M. Finkel e; Daughter.
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Harriet Brouard, Channel Islands, England, 1821
There is a group of samplers that share the very appealing characteristics and composition that appear on this outstanding sampler worked by Harriet Brouard, dated 1821. The fully worked clamshell and diamond design borders, the crisp, stylized pine trees of shaded colors, sprightly bouquets of flowers and baskets of fruit and large birds are found on the other Channel Island samplers, all of which date between 1800 and 1824. These samplers also feature a handsome palette which may reflect the particularly rich colors made available by this teacher. Some of the charming details found on Harriet's sampler are the central pot of carnations, the fat strawberries growing from the base of the pine trees, the bowknots catching the bouquets and the floating leafy fronds. Harriet's sampler offers fine visual appeal as well as excellent needlework. Worked in crewel wool onto linen, the sampler is in excellent condition with very minor loss to the wool. It has been conservation mounted into a fine mid 19th century black and gold frame. Sampler size: 15" x 19%"
Price: $5800.
M. Finkel e:s Daughter. AMERICA's LEADI. a sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
Polly Campbell, Putney, Vermont, 1800 The maker of this praiseworthy sampler was Polly Campbell of Putney, Vermont and a wealth of information about Polly and her family accompanies this sampler. The inscription in pink silk worked along the bottom of the sampler reads, "Polly Campbell born February 3rd 1790 Aged ten years" with "Putney Vermont 1800" appearing along with her scripted initials, "P.C." Polly was the daughter of Dr. John Campbell, a renowned doctor who moved to Putney in 1786 and practiced there for over 30 years, thus beginning a continuous tradition of Campbell family doctors in Putney that lasted until 1866. Her mother was Martha Stevens and they had married in Oxford, Massachusetts in 1777 just prior to John Campbell's service in the Revolutionary War. The family made their home in Putney, a small town in southeastern Vermont. In 1824 Polly married Tillotson Wheeler of Westmoreland, New Hampshire and they lived in Littleton, New Hampshire where their four children were born between 1824 and 1832. The family later removed to Michigan where Polly died in 1883. Vermont samplers are decidedly difficult to come across and we are very pleased to offer this wonderfully documented, endearing little example. A remarkably similar sampler made by Becca Read of Putney, age 10, 1800, obviously at the same school, is published as figure 83 in New England Samplers to 1840 by Glee Krueger as the only illustrated Vermont sampler. Along with alphabets and the sampler motifs of a large basket of fruit and small potted plants Polly worked the aphorism, "Revere Virtue Detest Vice." Overall this is a highly pleasing sampler with much to recommend it. Worked in silk on linen it is in excellent condition with minor loss to the black threads of one word, conservation mounted into an early black reeded frame with a gilt liner and conservation glass. Sampler size: 73ft." x 12W'
Price: $11,000.
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M. Finkel e:s Daughter.
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Clarissa Willard, Ashburnham, Massachusetts, 1812 This endearing little sampler was worked by Clarissa Willard at age 12 in 1812 and likely in the small Worcester County town of Ashburnham where this branch of the Willard family resided. Clarissa and her siblings were born between 1793 and 1816 to Mary Jones and her husband, William Willard, a farmer. In 1818 Clarissa married Enoch Whitmore and they had three children; she died in 1860. The sampler features alphabets and winsome potted flowers, a basket of fruit and a whimsical plant as well as a partially unfinished verse which espouses "virtue bright ornament of truth." The border is of an unusual design with hearts worked in a continuous wavy format. Her sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a beveled walnut frame. Sampler size: lOW' x 12Y.t''
Price: $3850.
Hannah Mitchell, Acrostic sampler, England, 1820 We occasionally find samplers in which the verse forms an acrostic and the samplermaker's name is read from top to bottom in the first letters of each line, as is the case with this handsome sampler worked by Hannah Mitchell in 1820. The verse was likely composed by her teacher and reads as follows: How beautiful in early youth Are those that follow peace & truth Nothing on earth is half so fair Nothing so much deserves your care Attend my dear the word of truth Here is a guide for age and youth. Beneath the verse Hannah stitched Adam and Eve under a stylized apple tree with two large birds perched on top. Typical English motifs including lions, hearts, birds, stars, trees and potted plants are arranged in a balanced fashion and fill the sampler, with a delicate flowering vine forming a four-sided border. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition with some minor areas of loss along the edge and is conservation mounted in its original outstanding inlaid frame. Sampler size: 1612'' x 20Y.t''
Price: $2900.
M. Finkel e:J Daughter. AME RICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEE DLEwoRK DEALE R
Hannah M. Ferry, "Lady Plenty," Palmer, Mass., 1803
During the first decades of the new Republic, many young ladies at schools and academies worked silk embroideries that reflected various influences, including the strong interest in classical design and allegorical figures. Ideals such as Virtue, Charity, and Plenty, and the feminine personification that symbolized them, became natural subjects for these collaborations between teacher and student. This fine example features a young lady in stylish classically inspired costume proudly displaying an overflowing cornucopia: Lady Plenty. The subject is seated on green-shaded hillocks and framed by graceful trees with tiny leaves worked of hundreds of minute French knots. It is a handsome and refined picture that also reflects its charming provincial origins. This embroidery retains its original reverse painted glass mat signed "Wrought by Hannah M. Ferry, 1803" and information which accompanies the piece provides excellent family documentation. The Ferry family was amongst the first families to settle Springfield, Massachusetts. Charles Ferry is mentioned as early as 1660 in land grants and married there in 1661. One of his greatgreat-granddaughters was Hannah C. Ferry, born in Palmer, a small town 16 miles northeast of Springfield, April 5, 1784. Hannah's father was Judah Ferry (17 49-1824) who served in the Revolutionary War mustered out of Brimfield. He had married Hannah Cooley in 1770 and they raised fourteen children in Palmer; Hannah was their ninth. In 1810 Hannah married George Puffer Wight, a notably successful farmer in the town of Brimfield where their three children, George Washington, Nancy Elizabeth and Daniel Russell, were born. Hannah died in Brimfield in 1875. Worked in silk and watercolor on silk, it is in excellent condition; the glass mat frame and backboard are original. Size of the embroidery: 10" x 8"
Framed size: 14" x 12"
AME RICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
Price: $8600.
M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
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Map Sampler Of England And Wales, England, 1861 Needleworked maps were frequently used as schoolroom exercises, encompassing lessons in both geography and the needle arts. The combination of geography and embroidery became very popular with teachers in England, their pupils producing map silk embroideries and samplers for many years. This large and impressive map sampler is a most appealing example with the ocean solidly stitched in a striated pattern created by pale blue and off-white stitches which lend the impression of waves to the bodies of water. The counties are outlined with rows of beige and tan cross-stitches and the islands with similar rows of red. Worked by S. A. Constable of Chesterton, England, it is of silk and wool on linen and is in excellent condition with a few very minor areas of loss; it remains in its fine original figured maple frame. Sampler size: 24" x 21W'
Price: $3900.
Headwork picture, A. Ville, France, 1838 Beadwork has been an interesting and important type of needlework from the17th century forth, with minute glass beads used to highlight certain areas or, occasionally, to form an entire scene as an alternative to silk or wool threads. This little picture is entirely sewn with tiny seed beads of wonderful colors, notably the inscription, which translates to "Given to the dearest of brothers 1838 by A. Ville," was worked in gold-colored beads set against a deep azure blue. This scene features great dimension, fine architecture and whimsical animation - a huge butterfly hovers over the apple tree, a bird carries a wreath in its beak and a silhouetted young lady strolls the grounds. It is in excellent condition with one small area of loss. Sight size: 10" x 13W'
Price: $2450.
M. Finkel~ Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
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Lovina Reed, Pennsylvania, 1844
This outstanding sampler exhibits a strong folky nature while combining strength of color with a very appealing overall design. The maker was Lovina Reed who also credits her teacher, Mrs. M.A. Spangler and lists initials of family members. Many regional characteristics place the origin of this sampler to Pennsylvania, most notably the red silk binding with rosette corners and it is likely that ongoing research will result in specific information about the identity of the samplermaker and her teacher. The handsome house and lawn scene that dominates this sampler features a brick house with green-shuttered windows. Blue glazed windowpanes and fanlights further decorate this structure, the perspective of which seems to be both frontal and three-quarters at the same time. A folky, simplified tree, a hugely oversized brown dog and a graceful blue flowered branch complete this scene with baskets of fruit and birds perched on floral sprays balancing the lower portion of the sampler. Worked in silk on linen with its original silk binding, the sampler is in excellent condition with one area that indicates later darning Uust above the J and K of the uppercase alphabet). Conservation mounted, it is now in a cornerblock cherry frame with conservation glass. Sampler size: 17%" x 1814''
Price: $18,500.
AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel e; Daughter.
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Biblical Hebrew sampler on paper, America, late 19th century There existed a tradition at the end of the 19th century in which needleworkers depicted Old Testament stories in wool on punched paper and this is the finest example that we have found. The scenes depict two events described in the book of Genesis, the better known being the offering of Isaac by Abraham. The Hebrew inscription along the top reads, "And you will offer Isaac to his sire today with mercy. Remember the holy city of Jerusalem," and the scene below is a charmingly nai've illustration, complete with the angel and the ram hiding near the tree. The lower half of this piece features a wonderful lineup of Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael and Eliezer returning to Mount Moriah, bringing fire, wood and the donkey. This large and brightly colored example was worked in wool and metallic coiled embellishments on paper and is in excellent condition in its fine original frame. Sight size: 18Yz'' x 23Yz''
Price: $3200.
Ottoman, America, 1886 This Eastlake style ottoman is covered with a fine example of Victorian needlework. Although some forms of needlework were going out of fashion in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, many ladies continued to embroider counted designs in wool on canvas. Densely arranged scattered motifs including an American flag, a man riding a bicycle, and a hot air balloon, are worked on a rich olive-green ground and combine both traditional needlework designs and popular culture of the time. A deep teal border with red flowers frames the work and perfectly fits along the sides of the ottoman, which is walnut with incising, applied walnut burl bosses and turned legs. Worked in wool on canvas, the needlework is in very good condition with only a few missing stitches and the walnut base is in excellent condition. Size: 12" high, 19" long, 15" wide Price: $1600.
M. Finkel~ Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
Elisabeth Jenkins, St. Ninians, Scotland, 1836
Nineteenth century Scottish samplers are considered very desirable for their highly pictorial nature and frequently depict wonderful houses, lawns, people and animals; this is an outstanding example worked within this well-regarded tradition. The sampler is inscribed, "Elisabeth Jenkins sewed this in Is. McKenzie's School St. Ninians 1836." The village of St. Ninians is in Stirlingshire and we can assume that the schoolteacher, likely Isabel McKenzie must have been a highly accomplished needlewoman. We find the combination of formal architecture and the folky scene of the shepherdess with her flock and dogs to be most pleasing. The Georgian house is replete with details including the quoins accentuating the corners, brick chimneys, and a circular front garden, albeit shown in unusual perspective. Trees thick with french-knotted foliage frame the scene but the lovely lady tending her sheep commands the greater attention. Her seated posture, her winsome face, striped dress and pointed little slippers all contribute to the appeal. Also included are dozens of sets of initials, many of family members and others perhaps of classmates. Two large elements each formed of four hearts provide further embellishment. Worked in silk and wool on linen, it is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into its original rosewood veneer frame. Sampler size: 17W' x 17"
Price: $22,000.
AME RICA'S LEADINGSAMPL ER AND NEEDLEwoRKDEAL ER
M.Finkel e:J Daughter.
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Pair of Samplers by sisters, Sarah and Eliza Plowman, England, circa 183 7
It must be assumed that sisters who were close in age to one another frequently attended school together thus working samplers that share characteristics. However, it is quite rare to find sisters' samplers that remain together, thus providing for the scholar and collector an excellent opportunity to study and appreciate two similar examples. These two samplers, worked by Sarah Plowman, age 9 in 1837 and Eliza Plowman, age 10, share strikingly similar scenes of brick houses with berry-laden shrubbery, fences and little trees. The houses share checkerboard steps, front doors and even the same arrangement of partially opened windows. Other motifs found on both pieces include the bird on a curled branch and the trees with highly stylized blossoms. Sarah, however, worked ships, deer, dogs, squirrels and insects that do not appear on Eliza's work. They are each quite lovely, well-made samplers and either one would be considered quite worthy on its own. Together they form a highly appealing pair. They are worked in silk on wool and remain in excellent condition with very minor areas of loss. Each is in its fine original maple frame with a gilt liner. Sampler size Sarah: 14"x 15" Sampler size Eliza: 12"x 1214'' Price for the pair: $8600.
M. Finkel~ Daughter. AMERrcA¡s LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
Milly Morrill, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1825
American schoolgirls produced a small body of pictorial samplers with highly appealing and folky scenes and this one worked in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1825 is a stellar example. A doublechimney Federal brick house dominates the scene which includes huge birds, a tiny horse, a busy birdhouse, a large willow tree and a fine basket of flowers; the richly hued lawn supports four fat white sheep. The line of inscription, "Milly Morrill her sampler aged 14 was born the year of 1811 September 21 Saturday Cambridge Massachusetts USA" provides excellent documentation for this praiseworthy piece. Vital town records and church documents provide further information regarding this family: Milly's parents were Moses and Milly (Marian) Morrill who were married in Cambridge in 1806. Milly was born, as she stitched onto her sampler on September 21, 1811 and was baptized in 1812 along with her brothers Merritt and Moses. The verse on the sampler which extols the virtues of education reads as follows: "The Rose in June doth fade away I As doth the morning dew I But learning ever bears the sway I And still remaineth new." A somewhat unusual three-sided border surrounds the sampler and carries out the folky nature of the piece. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into and inlaid mahogany and maple frame with conservation glass. Price: $24,500.
AME RICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER
M. Finkel as Daughter.
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Lucy and Sally Gould, Roxbury, Mass., 1806 and 1812
The Roxbury School was in existence for the first decade of the 19th century and â&#x20AC;˘ its students are known to have produced samplers of outstanding design and execution. The distinguishing characteristics are the wide, solidly-worked borders with leafy vines, flowers and memorial urns worked in long, crinkled-silk satin stitches, a technique made popular in Boston and the surrounding area in the 18th century. An 1803 sampler in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art names the Roxbury School and bears a strong resemblance to our Lucy Gould sampler. 1
Much is known about the Gould family of Roxbury, a small town just 3 miles southwest of Boston and later incorporated into that city; we are pleased to offer these two samplers, worked by the Gould sisters, along with a file of genealogical information. Lucy and her younger sister Sally were the daughters of Jacob Gould and Lucy Ruggles, both of whom had many ancestors who settled in Massachusetts in the early to mid 17th century. Lucy, age nine when she completed this excellent sampler, chose to memorialize her late first cousin, Eliza Gould (1794- 1803), a practice commonly found on samplers and silk embroideries of the period and one that families must have held near to their hearts. Lucy's very personal and poignant verse and the matching urns are likely an indication of her close relationship to her cousin Eliza. Lucy's sampler is listed and described in Bolton & Coe's groundbreaking book, American Samplers, published in 1921. Sally, age twelve in 1812, worked a much less sophisticated sampler with similar alphabets and the same fine horizontal band of satin stitches formed of triangles, and it may be assumed that Sally also attended the Roxbury School but had just begun her education when she worked this sampler. Both were made in silk on linen and are in excellent condition, conservation mounted into later veneer frames . Sampler sizes: Lucy, 1614'' x 12W'; Sally, 1114'' x 10"
Price for the two: $11,500.
M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AMERrcA¡s L EADING sAMPL ER AND NEEDLEwoRK D EALE R
Bristol Orphanage Sampler, Bristol, England, circa 1870 There exist a small group of very well documented and highly sought after samplers that were worked in the Muller Orphanage Houses of Bristol, England from the 1860's through the 1890's. Large numbers of orphans were housed and educated there and this education was geared to provide the orphans with skills that would ultiI mately help them gain useful employment, thus needlework of the highest standard was central to the curriculum for females. The samplers worked at this school are highly recognizable and renowned for their great precision and minute detail. The City of Bristol Museum owns a number of these samplers and a 1983 catalogue that accompanied an exhibition of their samplers notes that Bristol Orphanage samplers were "invariably worked in red with an occasional touch of blue, and are distinguished by the regimented rows of alphabets and small border patterns." Other hallmarks of these samplers are a depiction of the bible, various crowns and other royal representations and tiny pictorial images.
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Although the samplers all share the same general composition and high quality needlework, their makers made some individual choices and this sampler features a large crown enclosed by a wreath with the initials ''VR" honoring the much-beloved Queen, Victoria Regina. The lower right corner is filled with the Prince of Wales' Feathers, which then belonged to Prince Albert (later King Edward VII). The name Augusta that appears at the center of the bottom was likely that of the maker; another specific reference to the maker is the series of numbers "118.326.127," that appears at the right just above the motifs. Historians note that these are identification numbers that denoted the orphans' beds. To quote the City of Bristol Museum catalogue again, "The majority of girls went into service upon leaving the Homes and they would have reason to be grateful for the sound training they received there." Bristol samplers come onto the market very rarely and many are in the collections of other museums such as the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. Worked in silk on cotton this sampler is in excellent condition with one minor area of weakness, conservation mounted into an early 19th century reeded frame. Sampler size: lOW' x 8"
Price: $12,500.
AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER
M. Finkel as Daughter.
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Mary Boswell, England, circa 1810
Schoolgirls occasionally created bucolic scenes featuring gentlefolk fishing or tending sheep in a handsome country setting, a needlework tradition from the 17th century. This lovely little example was worked by ten-year-old Mary Boswell and dates from the early 19th century. The needlework is extremely tight and fine with tiny stitches solidly worked in a rich palette of colors. Details such as the bridge and tiny buildings, foliage, clouds, birds, reflections in the water and, of course, the fishing gentleman in his raspberry coat all contribute to the effect. The inscription is neatly worked and makes use of the early form of the upper case letter "A," a holdover from the 18th century. Worked in silk on wool, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted in a gold leaf frame. Sight size: 6%" x lOW'
Price: $5200.
Charlotte McLeod Bowles, Quebec, Canada, dated 1857 Canadian samplers are relatively scarce and so we were pleased to find this charming little sampler worked in Quebec by Charlotte McLeod Bowles and dated June 23, 1857. This family was very likely one of the many Scottish families that came to Canada as part of a large migration in the early 19th century; men came to Canada in search of new opportunities and financial gain and their families followed soon afterwards. The date on the very bottom of the sampler indicates that Charlotte had misjudged her spacing and then needed to finish her inscription with a tiny "n" above the "e" in order to complete the 1857 date. Charlotte's sampler was worked in cotton onto linen and is excellent condition; it has been conservation mounted and is in a painted 19th century frame. Sampler size: 9"x 8"
Price: $950.
M. Finkel~ Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRKDEALER
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Maria Blake, Ackworth School, England, 1818 Ackworth School samplers, with their strong graphics and very precise workmanship, are amongst the most sought after of all English schoolgirl needlework. The school, which still exists, is in Yorkshire and was established in 1779. It later served as the template for the American Quaker schools, most notably the Westtown School in Chester County, Pa. Male and female students were separated and both received a structured and disciplined year-round education without holidays or summer breaks. In addition to their academic curriculum, female students learned samplermaking and needlework skills. Styles of design that developed became unique to Ackworth; these samplers embody cornerstones of Quaker thought, such as simplicity, diligence, temperance and economy. This sampler, worked in 1818 by Maria Blake includes many alphabets, numerical progressions, ligatures and punctuation marks, all rendered in flawless cross-stitch. Geometric half medallions, considered the hallmarks of this school, form the borders. According to needlework scholar, Lynn Tinley, these geometric medallions are thought by the school to have been taught as a combined lesson in needlework and geometry. An interesting comparison to this sampler is another Ackworth piece also worked in 1818, by Ann Grimshaw, which is in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (see The Fine Art of Textiles by Dilys Blum, plate 145). It also features alphabets and motifs surrounded by half medallions; the two samplers are very similar and it is clear that Maria and Ann were classmates. Ackworth school archives provide the following information about the samplermaker: Maria was the daughter of Dodson and Sarah Blake of Norwich, members of the Norwich Friends Quarterly Meeting. She was born on May 2, 1804 and entered the Ackworth School in 1815. This sampler must have been a final project, as she left the school in late January of 1818. Worked in silk on wool, the sampler is in very good condition with scattered areas of loss to the wool, conservation mounted into a black painted frame with conservation glass. Sampler size: 16" x 1212''
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Price: $8400.
AME RICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
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King Charles Spaniel, Plushwork, England, circa 1840
King Charles Spaniels were one of the most fashionable subjects for needlework during the Victorian Era, due to the popularity of Queen Victoria's own cherished King Charles Spaniel, "Dash." Often the spaniel is depicted sitting on a tasseled cushion, but in our example the spaniel is standing on a lawn with trees in the background. He has shiny glass eyes and a sporty red ribbon around his neck. Plushwork, also called "raised Berlin work" or "raised embroidery" is worked with the plush stitch that forms loops that are later cut and sculpted with scissors to create the three-dimensional form. Our spaniel was skillfully "groomed" to display his wavy ears, curly chest, and handsome markings. This is the finest example of plushwork that we have seen in many years. The piece is in excellent condition and remains in its original rosewood shadowbox frame. Needlework size: 141;2'' x 17"
Framed size: 211;2'' x 24"
Price: $6800.
M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AME RICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEE DLEwoRK D EALER
Lucy Hill Lambert, South Berwick, Maine, 1823
Samplers worked on green Iinsey-woolsey are highly sought after by collectors and for obvious reasons. Most are from coastal New England where a preference for this color and fabric occurred, and date from about 1790 to 1830. We are pleased to offer this relatively large, handsome example worked by Lucy Hill Lambert at age 9 in 1823. Lucy was born on April 23, 1814 to William and Abigail (Ricker) Lambert, the younger of their two children. William Lambert was a graduate of Dartmouth College and a lawyer practicing in South Berwick, Maine, in the southern tip of the state. Lucy married John Parker Hale who served as United States Senator from New Hampshire for 16 years and later as the Minister to Spain, living with his family in Madrid for four years. They had two daughters and Lucy died at age 91 in Washington, D.C. This sampler presents variously stitched alphabets with narrow horizontal bands separating each line, all surrounded by a four-sided geometric border. The date of August 29, 1823 appears at the far left and right of the last line of alphabets, and young Lucy seems to have had some difficulty fi nding enough space; the final digit of 1823 is almost part of the border. Similarly, and somewhat whimsically, Lucy worked a backward letter "s" in her inscription, "Order is the first law of nature." Worked in silk on Iinsey-woolsey the sampler is in very good condition with some slight weakness to the ground. It has been conservation mounted into a black molded and painted frame. Sampler size: 17W' x 14"
Price: $5400.
AME RICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel e!S Daughter.
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SELECTED NEEDLEWORK BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, Gloria Seaman. Family Record Genealogical Watercolors and Needlework. Washington, DC: DAR Museum, 1989. Bolton, Ethel Stanwood and Coe, Eve Johnston. American Samplers. Boston: The Massachusetts Society of the Colonial Dames of America, 1921. Brooke, Xanthe. Catalogue of Embroideries. The Lady Lever Art Gallery. Alan Sutton Publishing Inc., 1992 Edmonds, Mary Jaene. Samplers and Samplermakers, An American Schoolgirl Art 1700-1850. New York: Rizzoli, 1991. Herr, Patricia T. The Ornamental Branches, Needlework and Art from the Lititz Moravian Girls' School Between 1800 and 1865. The Heritage Center Museum of Lancaster County, Pa, 1996. Epstein, Kathy. British Embroidery: Curious Works from the Seventeenth Century. Colonial Williamsburg and Curious Works Press, 1998. Hersh, Tandy and Charles. Samplers of the Pennsylvania Germans. Birdsboro, PA: Pennsylvania German Society, 1991. Humphrey, Carol. Samplers, Fitzwilliam Museum Handbooks. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Ivey, Kimberly Smith. In the Neatest Manner: The Making of the Virginia Sampler Tradition. Colonial Williamsburg and Curious Works Press, 1997. Krueger, Glee F. A Gallery of American Samplers: The Theodore H. Kapnek Collection. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1978. New England Samplers to 1840. Sturbridge, Massachusetts: Old Sturbridge Village, 1978. Ring, Betty. American Needlework Treasures. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1987. Girlhood Embroidery: American Samplers & Pictorial Needlework, 1650-1850. Knopf, 1993. Let Virtue be a Guide to Thee: Needlework in the Education of Rhode Island Women, 1730-1820. 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. Staples Epstein, Kathy, Tinley, Lynn. "Some Honest Worke in Hand ••• " English Samplers from the Seventeenth Century. Greenville, South Carolina, 2001. This Have I Done: Samplers and Embroideries from Charleston and the Lowcountry. Curious Works Press and the Charleston Museum, 2002. Studebaker, Sue. Ohio Samplers, School Girl Embroideries 1803-1850. Warren County Historical Society, 1988. Ohio Is My Dwelling Place. Ohio: Ohio University Press, 2002. Swan, Susan B. Plain and Fancy: American Women and Their Needlework, 1700-1850. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1977.
M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AME RI CA's LEADI~o sAMPL ER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
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.
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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.
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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.
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Supply a reverse painted black glass mat, if appropriate, done in correct antique manner.
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When necessary, install truVue Conservation Clear glass which block 97% of the harmful Ultra vio let light.
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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.
detail of sampler by Theodotia Davis, 1804, page 13
AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel e:i Daughter.
detail of band sampler, England, 1659, page 17 est. 1947
M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AMERICA'S LEADING ANTIQUE SAMPLER & NEEDLEWORK DEALER
936 Pine Street. Philadelphia. Pennsylvania. 19107-6128 215-627-7797.800-598-7432. fax 215-627-8199 www.samplings.com