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VOLUME XXXII
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 i it o r
detail of sampler by Susannah Chapman, 1819 page 9
detail of silk embroidery, the Fishing Party, 1836 page 30
Copyright Š 2007 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 . 1. Finkel & Daughter, Inc. Philadelphia, Penn :lvania.
Welcome to our Samplings catalogue, Volume XXXII .•. We hope that you enjoy this catalogue, our 32nd issue, and we thank all of you for your continued and growing interest in this field. Schoolgirl samplers and needlework provide 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. 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 fi ne 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 60th anniversary of the founding of our firm. We continue to value our positive relationships with clients, many of whom are now second generation, and strive to maintain our -ommitment to customer service. Buying antiques should be based in large measure on trust and onfidence, and we try to treat each customer as we ourselves like to be treated. We operate by :! ointment and are at the shop Monday through Friday, and are available on weekends, except when e are exhibiting at antiques shows. Please let us know of your plans to visit us. uggest that you contact us in a timely fashion if one or more of our samplers is of interest to . Please let us know if you would like us to email you better photos than appear in this catalogue. e majority of the pieces in the catalogue have not yet appeared on our website so as to give our -:.- ogue subscribers the advantage of having a first look. Should your choice be unavailable, we oul be happy to discuss your collecting objectives with you. Our inventory is extensive, and we ::. e many other samplers that are not included in our catalogue but which are on our website. oreo\'er, through our sources, we may be able to locate the sampler that you are looking for; you ·n ind us knowledgeable and helpful. ent may be made by check, VISA, Mastercard, or American Express. Pennsylvania residents I add 6% sales tax. All items are sold with a five day return privilege. Expert packing is included: and insurance costs are extra. We prefer to ship via UPS ground or Federal Express air,
_ oo · forward to your phone calls and your interest.
www.samplings.com Plea e check our website for frequent updates
Amy Finkel Morris Finkel Jamie Banks mailbox@samplings.com 800-598-7432
in ere ted in selling? We are constantly purchasing antique samplers and needlework and li ·e o know what you have for sale. We can purchase outright or act as your agent. r . - ent to us will receive our prompt attention. Call us for more information.
ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF CONTENTS Ann Anderson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1805 ... . ....................... . ........ 2 Sarah Benjamin, Daughter of Dutch Jewish Immigrants, Baltimore, MD, 1832 .......... 14 Mary Blakiston, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1791 .......................... . .. . .... 22 Maria Blow, Shaker Sampler, Canaan Town, Mt. Lebanon, New York, 1849 ......... . .... 8 Sarah H. Boyd, Northumberland Co., Pennsylvania, 1804 ........................... 10 Susannah Chapman, England or American, 1819 ................................... 9 Temperance Clark, Northampton, Massachusetts, 1816 .............................. 4 Double Memorial sampler, Smith and Humphreys family, Boston, MA, c. 1815 .......... . 3 Thankful Dyer, Provincetown, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1817 ........................ 26 Elsey Earle, under the instruction of Miss Field, Bergen Co., New Jersey, 1806 .......... 16 Pair of Samplers by E. Faith, English, 1815 ...................... . ................ 24 Fishing Party, Lisbon, Portugal, 1836 ............................................ 30 Maria Fondersmith, Pennsylvania, circa 1825 ..................................... 28 Mary W. Goodell, New Hartford, Connecticut, 1829 ................................ 16 Eliza Learning Griffith, Hamptonburgh, Orange Co., New York, 1803 .................. 12 Maria Philippa Grojan, England, 1777 ........................................... 27 Hollie Work on Vellum, initialed G.W., England, circa 1740 . .... . . . .................. 11 Molly Hyde, Lebanon, New London County, Connecticut, 1773 ... . ................... 13 Margaret Laskey, school of Mary Zeller, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1795 ............... 1 Mary L. Little, Dennis Creek, Cape May Co., New Jersey, 1835 .. .. .................... 25 Sally G. Lovejoy, Wilton, New Hampshire, circa 1810 ......... . ..... . ............... 32 Ann Margarett Miller, Pennsylvania, 1830 . ......... . ............................. 19 Miniature sampler, England, circa 1810 ........................................... 6 Orphanage Sampler, Amsterdam, 1786 .......................................... 28 Pair of Birds and Rings Silk Embroidery, Europe, circa 1820 ....................... . . 32 Sarah Parker, Massachusetts, 1799 ..................... . ........................ 14 Mary Anne Parsons, Worthing National Infant School 2, England, 1833 ................ 27 Sarah Polhemus, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, 1828 .......................... . .. 29 Abigail Shearman, Newport, Rhode Island, 1764 .... . . . ..... . ....................... 5 Dolly Sheller, Leah Galligher school, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 1800 ................... 20 Eliza Simpson, Darning sampler, England, 1803 ....... . ........................... 12 Isabella Taylor, Birmingham, England, 1783 . ........... . .... .. .................... 22 Nabby B. Tirrell, Weymouth, Massachusetts, 1823 .. . . .... .. . .. .. .................. 33 Catharine Arabella Turtle, Aghagallon, Ireland, 1836 . . .. . . ......................... 18 Dinah Walker, silk embroidered Map of Europe, Dean, Cumberland, England, 1813 ...... 31 Penelope C. Williams, Carthage Female Institute, Carthage, Tennessee, 1832 ........... . 6 Sarah Wills, Pine Grove School, Burlington County, ew Jersey, 1811 ................. 21
Bi-rmingham.
MDCCLXXXIII detail of sampler by Isabella Ta. ¡lor.
Margaret Laskey, school of Mary Zeller, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1795
A small and highly significant group of pictorial samplers was worked at the school of Mary Zeller in Philadelphia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. These samplers were worked on a large scale and feature excellent composition and needlework; Betty Ring in Girlhood Embroidery, vol. II describes these samplers as "easily recognized by airy, asymmetrical motifs that float in random arrangement above her balanced terraces and lend a feeling of ebullient spontaneity to her compositions. Her tree-lined stepped terraces are usually surmounted by ... a black and orange castle."
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M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
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Margaret Laskey, school of Mary Zeller, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1795 (cont' d.) Mrs. Ring further indicates that other pictorial images found on these samplers may include the shaggy goat, milk cow, well house, reclining stag, small shepherd couple and various sheep, dogs, birds and butterflies. The 18th century Zeller school samplers may include a beautifully work horizontal band of flowers in a deep arcade, reminiscent of mid 18th century Philadelphia sampler design. It is a privilege to offer this praiseworthy sampler made in 1795 by Margaret Laskey, the newest discovery and an important addition to the group. It compares favorably to the known Zeller school samplers, offering strong composition and color, as well as interesting family history. Margaret Laskey was born in 1785 and died, unmarried, at age 24 years of age in 1809. She was the daughter of Edward Laskey, a victualler, and his wife Catherine who belonged to St. Michael's and Zion Lutheran Church where their children were baptized. Edward Laskey was evidently very successful, as is evident from their papers; the inventory of Margaret Laskey indicates that she owned a valuable piano forte. The administration of her will includes payment to Dr. Wistar, a physician of considerable reputation in Philadelphia. The sampler was left to Margaret's sister Rebecca Laskey Oldenbergh and descended along with Oldenbergh family papers. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition with very minor loss at a horizontal fold line. It has been conservation mounted and is in a fine mahogany frame with inlay. Sampler size: 2PN' x 16314''
Price upon request
Ann Anderson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1805 Some of the finest Philadelphia samplermakers learned to work samplers onto very fine linen gauze, a difficult and unforgiving ground. This is an outstanding little example made in 1805 by Ann Anderson, with flowers springing out of baskets, flowers floating in the air and a pair of classic Philadelphia tall pine trees growing on a teal satin-stitched lawn. The folky simplicity of the subject almost belies Ann's excellence in the needle arts. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a fine early 19th century black and gold painted frame with stenciled stars. Sampler size: 9" x 7" Price: $8750.
Double Memorial sampler, Smith and Humphrey family, Miss Field's School, Boston, Massachusetts, circa 1815
While silk embroidered memorials are plentiful, memorial samplers were rarely made and this is a splendid and highly personal example with large, expressive figures set between enormous monuments. Those memorialized are Mrs. Hannah (Phipps) Smith, age 50, and her grandson William Smith Humphreys, age 11 months, both of Boston. The needleworker would have been one of William's sisters or another family member and the couple dressed in mourning garb on this sampler were likely William's parents, Catherine Smith Humphreys and her husband George Humphreys, who had been married at the First Church in Boston in 1804. A memorial by Adeline A. Greenleaf, circa 1808, from the Edgar and Bernice Garbisch Collection, is inscribed that it was worked at Miss Field's School, Boston (see Sotheby Parke Bernet Sale, Nov, 1974, lot 167). It is clear that the Greenleaf and Smith/Humphrey pieces were worked at the same school as they share many salient and defining characteristics. The scene is beautiful composed with a lawn formed of many layers and with two large and delicate weeping willow trees, traditional symbols of loss and mourning. The large tombs each feature initials worked onto the solidly stitched urns and poems specific to the deceased. The posture and details of the two standing figures are unusual and captivating, from their feet to their facial expressions and hats. Mourning art was taken to great heights in the early years of the 19th century and this is one of the most appealing examples that we have known. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition with very slight wear. It has been conservation mounted and is in a tine 19th century gold leaf frame. Sampler size: 17114'' x 181f2''
Price: $14,500.
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M. Finkel e:J Daughter.
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Temperance Clark, Northampton, Massachusetts, 1816 This praiseworthy sampler is a rare example from a small group of samplers known to have been worked in Northampton, Massachusetts in the early years of the 19th century. These samplers are characterized by the long stitches formed of crinkled silk, filling in the entire background and composition which includes baskets piled high with fruit, various birds alphabet above and the same border of large rose buds. Only a handful of these Northampton samplers are known, one of which is in the collection of the Northampton Historical Society, and we are pleased to offer this newly discovered example. The maker was Temperance Clark, daughter of Justus Clark and his wife Temperance Pomeroy who were married in Northampton in 1787. The family descended from William Clark who was born in Dorchester, England and emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony by 1637. Temperance was born in 1805 and worked this sampler when she was eleven years old. In 1827 Temperance married a distant cousin, Charles Clark, son of Deacon Luther and his wife Lucy Clark. By 1850 the family was living in Brooklyn, New York; Charles Clark was a stock broker and the family had at least three children. Temperance died in Brooklyn in 1867 and is buried at the Bridge Street Cemetery. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition; it retains its original color and has been conservation mounted into a mid 19th century gold leaf frame. Sampler size: 16" x 18W'
Price: $9400.
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Abigail Shearman, Newport, Rhode Island, 1764 Samplers and needlework produced in Providence, Newport and other towns of Rhode Island are amongst the most important of all American schoolgirl work. Highly talented instructresses and their students left a legacy that has been well documented by scholars and curators, most notably at the Rhode Island Historical Society's 1983 exhibition, "Let
Virtue Be a Guide to Thee" with its accompanying book of the same title by Betty Ring. Abigail Shearman of Newport, working in 1764 and likely under the tutelage of Mrs. Sarah Osborn, created this excellent sampler which depicts the classic Newport lady and gentleman as well as many other regional characteristics and motifs. This sampler is one of the earliest know of its type, sharing elements with a 1773 sampler by Sarah Pope in the collection of the Newport Historical Society. It is a privilege to offer this rare sampler which holds great appeal and significance. The Shearman family in America originated with Philip Shearman (circa 1610-1687) who was born in Essex, England and came to America in 1633. He settled initially in Roxbury, Massachusetts and later in Rhode Island when his Quaker beliefs conflicted with the political climate in Massachusetts in the late 1630s. Philip was prominent in civic affairs for many years and served as the Secretary of Rhode Island when it was formed in 1639. Abigail's parents were Peleg and Phebe (Thurston) Shearman and she was born May 12, 1752. Mter Peleg's death his widow and their two daughters removed to Swansea, Massachusetts, a town at the Rhode Island border, as recorded by the Swansea Monthly Meeting. Abigail married William Lawton at that Quaker meeting 1779 and they had seven children. She died in 1805 and is buried at the Friends' Yard at Somerset. Her sampler descended in the family for many generations. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into an 18th century black painted and carved frame. Sampler size: 12" x 10 1/4''
Price: $24,000.
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M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
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Miniature sampler, England, circa 1810 We rarely come across samplers such as this one which was made only to present a poem; one which, in this case, is unusually amusing in nature. In quotations and using some archaic letters, it reads: I have no house room for the cursed swearer I Nor any welcome for the false tale bearer I The liar shall not in my presence dwell I Such guests as those are only fit for hell. A tiny house on a striated hill with a pair of deer and trees decorate the lower portion of the sampler and a pair of angels, in -- traditional English sampler style, embellishes the top as they hold up a garland of flowers. Worked in silk on wool, the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a 19th century gold leaf frame. Sampler size: 53/4'' x 51/z" Price: $2800.
Penelope C. Williams, Carthage Female Institute, Carthage, Tennessee, 1832 Documented samplers from Tennessee are extremely rare with very few mentioning the specific school at which they were made. Indeed, American Samplers by Bolton & Coe lists only one sampler from Tennessee, this specific Carthage Female Institute sampler made by Penelope C. Williams and dated 1832. Penelope was born in 1820, the daughter of Nathaniel Washington Williams and Sarah Jones Walton. The Walton and Williams families figure large in the history of Smith County, Tennessee. According to Goodspeed's History of Tennessee, published in 1887, Penelope's grandfather, William Walton (1760-1816), was the original proprietor of the site of Carthage and the first white settler of the territory now composing Smith County. The early settlers came from North Carolina, Virginia and East Tennessee, erecting log cabins and clearing land for crops. In 1805 a group of commissioners selected land to establish the city of Carthage, a seat of justice and the site of many public buildings; they purchased 50 acres from William Walton for the price of one cent. By 1810 a circuit court was in existence at the newly constructed courthouse and the first judge to serve was Hon. Nathaniel Washington Williams, father of the maker of this important sampler.
M. Finkel es Daughter. AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER
Penelope C. Williams, Carthage Female Institute, Carthage, Tennessee, 1832 (cont'd.)
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While the exact origins of the Carthage Female Institute are unknown, the school may have been the female academy mention in an 1830 gazetteer of the state. In many respects, this sampler resembles classic American samplers of the 1830s with alphabets and a moralistic verse. The large outer border and smaller scale inner surround, however, are unlike patterns found on other American samplers and may have been designed specifically by a teacher at this school; this border design does appear on other known Tennessee samplers. The sampler is surrounded by an original silk ribbon with feather stitching, a characteristic not known to have been repeated on any other area sampler. At age 20, Penelope married Jordan G. Stokes, a lawyer. Sadly, she died nine months after the wedding, likely in childbirth. Worked in silk on linen with silk ribbon, it is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in its original rosewood veneer frame. Sampler size: 20%'' x 18%''
Price: $38,000.
AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel e!S Daughter.
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Maria Blow, Shaker Sampler, Canaan Town, Mt. Lebanon, New York, 1849 Samplers made within the Shaker communities are extremely rare; they were tools used to practice the important skill of precise marking of linens and generally remain within the collections of the Shaker communities. Maria Blow (1821 -1906) was admitted to the Canaan Town Shaker community, also known as New Lebanon, in 1840 when she was 19 years old, during the period of time that saw the largest Shaker population country-wide, approximately 6000 members living in its many different communities. The town of Canaan is at the Massachusetts border, 25 miles southeast of Albany, and the Shakers, led by Mother Ann Lee established their first society there when she and nine other emigrants from England arrived in 1774. New Lebanon became one of the largest communities, with a population of 609 in 1864.
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Maria remained there throughout her life, living as a member of different "family" groups and contributing by performing a various jobs in succession, in keeping with the nature of Shaker communities. Her sampler is dated 1849 and she may, in fact, have been a teacher at that time as she was 28 years of age. The 1860 United States census lists the entire New Lebanon community and indicates the occupation of Maria Blow, age 38, as Dairywoman. Twenty years later Maria was a Physician. Shaker archives contain photographs taken at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries that identify Maria amidst the North Family sisters, as well as a portrait of Maria alone. In keeping with the Shaker tradition, Maria's sampler is meticulously crafted and severely plain with no borders or embellishments. The sampler presents two alphabets, a progression of numbers, Maria's name, the name of the community and the year it was made. Two fi nal letters appear on the sampler and complete it: "j" as it was left out of the lower case alphabets and "Q" as it offers an alternative rendition. All lettering was stitched in dark blue silk, a color used frequently by the Shakers.
Maria Blow, Shaker Sampler, Canaan Town, Mt. Lebanon, New York, 1849 (cont'd.) For further information regarding Shaker samplers, refer to Samplers and Samplermakers: An American Schoolgirl Art 1700 - 1850 by Mary Jaene Edmonds. The chapter entitled "The Shakers" publishes two Shaker samplers and discusses others. Worked on a tightly woven piece of linen with hemmed edges, the sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a 19th century mahogany frame.
NO. 21 Sampler size: 33!4'' x 10" Framed size: 151fz'' x 9" Price: $12,000. Late 19th c. photograph portrait of Maria Blow From the Shaker Photograph Archives, Western Reserve Historical Society.
Susannah Chapman, England or America, 1819
Rarely do we see samplers in which the house fills virtually the entire composition, from side to side. This wonderfully impressive brick manor house with a blue slate roof is set upon a lawn with a fine fence and openwork gates, and several birds fill the sky and perch on the shaped chimneys. The sampler was made by Susannah Chapman and is dated 1819; it was made in either England or America. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in an outstanding late 19th century marquetry frame. Sampler size: 121fz'' x 12%"
Price: $8400.
AMERicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
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Sarah H. Boyd, Northumberland Co., Pennsylvania, 1804
Worked in 1804 by Sarah Haines Boyd, this beautifully executed sampler features a fine border of queen's-stitched strawberries and a letter-perfect two line verse entitled "Candour." It is well composed throughout with extra strawberries set into the corners, various small compartments for words and a sprig of roses flanked by stylized little berry plants. Sarah was the daughter of Capt. John and Rebecca (Bull) Boyd who married in 1794. Sarah Haines Boyd was their eldest, born in 1796 and married Rev. William Richmond Smith in 1822. Published Bull family genealogical records reveal much about the family and include the Revolutionary War Pension Certificate for Capt. Boyd. Sarah's aunt Elizabeth Bull married Benjamin Rittenhouse, the famous clock and instrument maker, brother of David Rittenhouse. Sarah and her husband removed to Peoria, Illinois where Sarah died in 1866. This sampler offers a winning combination of outstanding needlework, color and strong provenance. It was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a black molded and painted frame. Sampler size: 16" x 14%"
Price: $3800.
M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AMERICA's LEAD!
1
G sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
Hollie Work on Vellum,
G.W., England, circa 1760
English needleworkers of the 18th century made use of a wide variety of fascinating and intricate ·echniques, including some extremely delicate forms of whitework. Hollie Work, one of the most delicate of this type, is occasionally found on samplers or needlework dating circa 1700 to 1760 and examples can be found in museums and private collections. We were fortunate to come across this excellent Hollie Work example, rendered that much more unusual because the ground, and base for :he needlework, is actually green-dyed vellum. The composition is that of a flower arrangement in a ·o-handled pot. Breathtakingly fine stitches were ed to form the patterns, motifs and letters and, of ourse, the deep green color enhances the open. ·ork. This sampler was framed with glass on both -ides so that the technique can be appreciated. I is in excellent condition, in an early 19th century reeded frame. ight size: S"x SW'
Price: $7250.
detail of back
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Eliza Simpson, Darning sampler, England, 1803 The eight excellent darns worked by Eliza Simpson would have served as proof that the samplermaker had been well-educated in this particular skill and was prepared to darn clothing as well as tine household fabrics. English darning samplers often also feature pictorial elements and Eliza included two flower baskets with diagonal patterns that echo the patterns created in her darned squares. Her needlework is well executed and crisp throughout. It was worked in silk on linen and is in
excellent condition, conservation mounted into a tine 19th century gold leaf frame. Sampler size: 13 112'' x 10 114'' Price: $4250.
Eliza Learning Griffith, Hamptonburgh, Orange Co., NY, 1803 This endearing little sampler was made by Elizabeth Learning Griffith when she was 12 years of age and descended along with a family note that provides detailed information. Alphabets and numerical progressions are interspersed with narrow patterned bands of needlework designs; the large upper case letters that form the name and age were worked in the eyelet stitch. All of it was accomplished in an excellent palette of strong colors which survive in their original strength as the sampler was not framed until very recently. Eliza Learning Griffith was born in 1791, and in 1819 married Anthony Watkins Eager of Neelytown, Orange County. The Eager family figures prominently in the history of the area, mentioned in early published histories. Eliza and Anthony, a farmer, became the parents of at least three children and Eliza, a widow, was alive in 1870 and still living in Hamptonburgh with her son Samuel and his family. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition; it has been conservation Price: $2200. mounted into a late 19th century frame. Sampler size: 81/z" x 8114''
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Molly Hyde, Lebanon, New London County, Connecticut, 1773 Molly Hyde, age 13 in 1773 and living in Lebanon, Connecticut, worked this outstanding bordered band sampler. A central band depicts serrated leaves and flowers tightly worked in the tent stitch over an aphorism that was typical of the period, "Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised." Pre-revolutionary American samplers are rare and this is a particularly fine one, with excellent needlework and strong color. Born on June 20, 1760, Molly Hyde was one of the twelve children of Major Elijah and Mary (Clark) Hyde, of Lebanon, Connecticut. The Hyde Genealogy, published in 1864, traces the family from emigrant ancestor William Hyde (15631640) who settled in Norwich, Connecticut in the 1630's. Major Elijah Hyde, according to this book, "was a wealthy and respectable farmer, and for many years represented the town of Lebanon in the state legislature. He took an active part in the revolutionary struggle and was one of the confidential friends of the first Governor Jonathan Trumbull of Connecticut. He was an officer of the cavalry in the service of the nited States of America for some time during the revolution." At age 20, Molly married her second cousin, Daniel Hyde and they removed to New York State. Their eleven children were born between 1781 and 1796. Molly died in 1836 at Bainbridge, Chenango County, New York. The well-composed border on this sampler is unusual and features fruit and flowers on a naturalistic vine. Along the bottom are whimsical eyelet-stitched designs. The sampler was worked in silk on linen, and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a fine 18th century black and gold frame. ampler size: 16W' x 10"
Price: $14,000.
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M. Finkel e:s Daughter.
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Sarah Parker, Massachusetts, 1799 Sarah Parker's handsome sampler fits into the tradition of 18th century samplers made in the towns of coastal northern Massachusetts, with little hillocks of plants and trees and deeply arcaded borders. Sarah was eleven years old when she made this sampler (one is eleven years old when in one's twelfth year), which includes several alphabets and a numerical progression. The large scripted alphabet at the center was worked in the Round Hand, the font that was the most widely used commercial script of the 18th century. Worked in silk on tan linen, the sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a 19th century gold frame. Sampler size: 11 314'' x 1OW'
Price: $2800.
Sarah Benjamin, Daughter of Dutch Jewish Immigrants, Baltimore, Maryland, 1832 It is a privilege to offer this extremely rare and important Baltimore house sampler made in 1832 by
Sarah Benjamin who was eleven years old and a member of the significant Jewish community of Baltimore. Dr. Gloria Seaman Allen illustrates this sampler (figure 13-16) in her newly published book, A Maryland Sampling: Girlhood Embroidery 1738 - 1860, which accompanies the current exhibition at the Maryland Historical Society. Dr. Allen writes extensively about the Jewish population and the samplers produced by the daughters of Baltimore Jews; Sarah Benjamin's sampler is the most highly developed of those known, resembling the many important Baltimore samplers made by Christian schoolgirls of the period and featuring large houses, fences, gates, lawns and rich wide borders. It is assumed by Dr. Allen that Sarah, although the daughter of observant Jews, attended one of the many non-sectarian schools operating in Fells Point at the time. Sarah was born in Baltimore in 1817, the first child of Levi and Rachel (Harson) Benjamin shortly after her father arrived from Amsterdam, Holland, where he joined the small settlement of Dutch Jews in the Fells Point neighborhood; Sarah was born in Baltimore in 1817, the first child of Levi and Rachel (Harson) Benjamin. There was an early population of prominent Sephardic Jews in Baltimore (similar to Newport, Rl, Richmond, VA, Philadelphia, and Charleston, SC) but by the late 18th and early 19th centuries observant Jewish emigrants from Europe were establishing communities as well. Many began as peddlers and became merchants as was the case with Levi Benjamin who worked his way from peddler to furniture dealer to silver and gold dealer. By 1850 he was a real estate speculator and a highly successful and wealthy man.
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Sarah Benjamin, Daughter of Dutch Jewish Immigrants, Baltimore, Maryland, 1832 (cont'd. )
While the Maryland Constitution of 1776 granted religious freedom to citizens, it required those holding public office or even those wishing to vote to declare belief in Christianity. After years of petitions, this was rescinded in 1826 by the Maryland General Assembly and two prominent Jewish men became elected officials. This allowed for substantial growth within the Jewish community of Baltimore, contributing to the success of families such as that of Levi Benjamin, who, by 1837 was a charter member of the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation and the donor of the plot of land for its new ynagogue. arah married a Jewish man, Benjamin Dewolff, another native of Holland and resident of Baltimore who was a clothier and jeweler. They remained in Baltimore and raised nine children there. Sarah died in 1883. The research file that accompanies this sampler is thorough and extensive and includes photocopies from many published sources. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in very good condition with some very minor areas of weakness. It has been conservation mounted into its original mahogany frame. ampler size: 17W' x 203/4''
Price: $22,000.
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M. Finkel e:s Daughter.
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Mary W. Goodell, New Hartford, Connecticut, 1829 Mary W. Goodell worked this impressive, solidly stitched sampler at the age of 19 in the town of New Hartford. In keeping with the 18th century tradition of fully worked Connecticut samplers, we can assume that this was made in the town of New Hartford, located 20 miles northwest of Hartford. Mary worked her alphabets and inscription within a beautifully formed round sunburst with a tight sawtooth edge. A particularly detailed and lovely undulating vine of shaded flowers, grapes and grape leaves frames the composition and a lustrous pale blue background completes the work. In the upper right corner a circle in white silk was worked; perhaps this was meant to be the moon, contrasting with the large central image of the sun. Fully worked in silk on linen, this sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a black molded and painted frame. Sampler size: 16W' x 16W'
Price: $6800.
Elsey Earle, under the instruction of Miss Field, Bergen County, New Jersey, 1806 Adam and Eve samplers were rarely made by American schoolgirls and the majority are from New York City and environs. These samplers generally belong to a group made predominantly in the last half of the 18th century in New York and are referred to as the Biblical Samplers as they depict various Biblical scenes including Adam and Eve. ot surprisingly, this influence found its way to Bergen County in northern New Jersey where a previously undocumented instructress, Miss Field, supervised young Elsey Earle as she worked this very appealing and folky rendition of Adam and Eve and the serpent-wrapped apple tree.
Elsey Earle, under the instruction of Miss Field, Bergen County, New Jersey, 1806 (cont'd.) The history of the Earle family is unusual as well. Elsey was the daughter of Edward and Sichy (Van Duyn) Earle of the small town of chraalenburg, near Hackensack. Edward Earle (1757-1825) was a farmer and Loyalist who served as a Captain in the 3rd Battalion, New Jersey Volunteers, a volunteer army loyal to the British, from 1776 until the end of the War. At that point he joined the many thousands of other Loyalists who fled to New Brunswick, Canada where they were granted land; indeed, entire towns were established by them. Food, clothing, medicine, tools and materials were provided by the British as well. In the year 1784 in Maugerville, New Brunswick, Edward married Sichy Van Dyne, the daughter of another Loyalist from New York, Dowe Van Dyne. Ultimately they found their way back to the United tates as did many others. Conditions in Canada proved too harsh for these families, many of whom were not ready for the hardships of pioneer life in such a climate. Official documents indicate that Edward and his brother Justus claimed money owed them for land in Bergen County that was confiscated in 1778 and it seems they returned to this area. Elsey was born in 1796 and in 1840 married Tristan Dunham, perhaps as his second wife. They were living in Ontario County, New York in 1850 and she died in 1865.
Elsey set her scene of Adam and Eve on a lawn with hillocks, animals, birds and berry plants providing further animation. Alphabets and small geometric motifs fill the upper portion of the sampler and the border includes six fat Queen's-stitched strawberries flanking the pictorial scene. The inscription includes the name of her teacher and the fact that she working "in Bergen county State of new Jersey." Perhaps other samplers worked at this school will become known. The sampler was worked in silk on tan linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a mahogany frame with line inlay. ampler size: 13" x 12W'
Price: $12,000.
A..\IERlCA' LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER
M. Finkel as Daughter.
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Catharine Arabella Turtle, Aghagallon, Ireland, 1836 Documented Irish samplers are quite rare, and we are pleased to be able to offer this fine work, made in 1836 by Catharine Arabella Turtle in Aghagallon, County Antrim in Northern Ireland, 20 miles southwest of Belfast. Catharine was the daughter of Launcelot and Jane Turtle and records indicate that the family resided in Aghalee, a town one mile northeast and along the same road as Aghagallon. In 1841 Miss Turtle married Jacob Green. The sampler features a lengthy poem surrounded by a wide fully-worked border in black with rich two-toned flower buds winding around a deep green vine. The poem is entitled, "Address to the Deity." Numerous published poems carry this title; however, this closely resembles "Address to the Supreme," by Miss Elizabeth Carter (1717-1806), a highly noted English poet. The poem is followed by her inscription, in which she worked the first letter of each word in a large and stylized early font. Worked in silk on wool, this sampler is in very good condition with some minor loss to the wool in one area. It has been conservation mounted and is in its fine original beveled rosewood frame with a Price: $4800. gilt liner. Sampler size: 17W' x 11 W'
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M. Finkel e» Daughter. AMERICA 's LEADR\G sAMP LER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
Ann Margarett Miller, Pennsylvania, 1830
Pennsylvania samplermakers worked outstanding house and lawn samplers for many decades beginning in the late 18th century. Scholars and curators have studied and published many of these samplers ari.d, due to the large and well-educated population in southeastern Pennsylvania at the time, excellent examples continue to surface occasionally. Working firmly within this tradition, Ann Margarett Miller stitched this praiseworthy pictorial sampler in 1830. Her sampler offers strong composition and color along with the folky nature that many collectors find particularly appealing. This sampler should be compared to one published in Historical Needlework of Pennsylvania by Margaret Schiffer (1968) on page 38, a 1798 sampler by Elizabeth Helms. While over 30 years apart in age, these two samplers are remarkably similar. Both feature a house in three-quarter view set off-center on a sloping lawn with the same little flock of birds soaring above. While each sampler embodies characteristics of its own period, the close relationship between the two speaks to the strength of this continuing tradition. detail
Ann Margarett Miller featured a lawn of long teal blue and green stitches with three sheep guarded by a dog. Another little dog, more of a pet perhaps, stands at the house. Birds, baskets of fruit and vases of flowers provide further embellishment.
The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition with some very slight loss. It has been conservation mounted into a molded and black painted frame. Sampler size: 171/4'' x 18W'
Price: $11,000.
AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
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Dolly Sheller, Leah Galligher school, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 1800
We are pleased to be able to offer this praiseworthy sampler made by Dolly Sheller, a daughter of John Sheller, a baker, and his wife, Rosana Sheller of Lancaster, who married in 1783. Dorothea, also known as Dolly, was their fourth child, born in 1791. When only nine years old she made this fine sampler, which is typical of the exemplary work created under the instruction of four highly talented instructresses working in the Susquehanna Valley in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Dolly attended the school of Leah Galligher who is credited with establishing the regional characteristics as early as 1797. Three years later Dolly worked another sampler, also at the school of Mrs. Galligher, and this example is published in Betty Ring's Girlhood Embroidery, vol. II, figure 460. This sampler features the classic composition of Susquehanna Valley samplers: inscription and text fill the large central square, three borders are filled with elements such as hearts, baskets, flowers and berries, finely stitched and surrounded by step-designed borders. The bottom border on many of these samplers depicts a pictorial scene of a building, perhaps a church, a home or in the case of another published example (figure 459 in Girlhood Embroidery), the Lancaster Poorhouse. The church shown by Dolly Sheller also appears on a 1798 Galligher school sampler by Ann Susanna Riddle (figure 458) and both Ann and Dolly depicted the church doors opened; Dolly showed the full height of the church's bell tower and allowed it to interrupt the inner borders of her sampler.
M. Finkel & Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER A
D NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
Dolly Sheller, Leah Galligher school, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 1800 (cont'd.) Dolly married John Wind, a music master and owner of a successful music store in Lancaster. John was active in civic affairs participating on the local committees that honored John Adams and Thomas Jefferson after their deaths in 1826 and the 1832 commemoration of George Washington's birthday. Dolly and John had five children. John died in 1858 and Dolly died in 1867. In her will Dolly specifically mentioned her samplers. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition with slight weakness. It has been Price: $22,000. conservation mounted into a fine mahogany frame. Sampler size: 17" x 17W'
Sarah Wills, Pine Grove School, Burlington County, New Jersey, 1811 The Pine Grove School, a small Quaker school in operation from 1792 until about 1830, was under the auspices of the Upper Evesham Monthly Meeting of Burlington County, New Jersey. To date there are four samplers, dating between 1809 and 1813, that are known to have been made at this school and all feature the fine classic Quaker motifs and composition that one would expect. Sarah Wills was nine years of age in 1811 when she made this fine sampler with its lengthy, carefully worked verse surrounded by many documented Quaker sampler designs. Sarah was the eighth child of nine born to Zebedee and Priscilla (Moore) Wills of Evesham. The initials of her parents and siblings appear at the top and along the sides of her sampler and other family initials appear throughout. In 1825 Sarah married a physician, George Haines, and they continued to reside in Burlington County where their children were born. Sarah remained a Quaker and The Friend: A Religious and Literary Journal published notice of her death in 1873. The sampler is bordered on three sides with a queen's-stitched strawberry vine that grows out of small baskets and is joined by a queen's-stitched heart at the top. Motifs that are distinctly Quaker include the large swan, sprays of flowers, bird on branch and half geometric medallion. The two-handled vase of flowers to the left of her name is specific to Pine Grove School samplers. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted Price: $11,000. into a fine mahogany frame with inlay. Sampler size: 16"x 163!/' AMERicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
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Isabella Taylor, Birmingham, England, 17 83
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This is a fine sampler made by Isabella Taylor of Birmingham, England who used Roman Numerals to indicate the year the sampler was made, 1783. A naturalistic border of flowering vines emanating from cornucopias, with a strawberry plant above and a butterfly below, surrounds the verse, which is the one found most frequently on both English and American samplers. Birmingham, 62 miles northwest of Oxford, was one of the leading manufacturing cities of Europe because of its inland navigation. Accordingly, a wealthy merchant class developed by the 18th century and the daughters from these families attended schools and learned to make samplers that rivaled those worked at the fine schools in London. Worked in silk on linen gauze, the sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into an early 19th century maple frame with a gilt liner. Sampler size: 13 1/4'' x 13"
Price: $6800.
Mary Blakiston, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1791 18th century Philadelphia samplers can exhibit extremely fine and tight needlework within a balanced composition with complex horizontal bands and compartmented verse. Various highly talented instructresses taught the many daughters of the merchant and craftsman class that was a fast growing segment of the population of this city, and their samplers reflect this tradition. Mary Blakiston's sampler is a fine example of this significant type of sampler, with many of these classic Philadelphia characteristics. The classic four-sided border and horizontal bands were worked in tiny stitches and the regional trait of using a contrasting color for the upper case letters is evident as well.
M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
Mary Blakiston, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1791 (cont' d.)
The Blakistons in America descended from an ancient English family, which traces its lineage to the 14th century. George Blakiston (born 1616) came to America and settled in Maryland by 1670; a branch of the family removed to Philadelphia which is where Presley Blakiston settled. He was a successful shoe and boot importer and a city commissioner who married Sarah Warnock and they were the parents of samplermaker, Mary Blakiston, born in 1782. The family lived near the busy and prosperous docks in this bustling city. In 1810, Mary married John O'Neal, owner of a brickyard and much real estate. Their marriage ceremony took place at historic Christ Church as had that of her parents. Mary and John became the parents of at least four children and Mary died in 1823. Her widower went on to marry her younger sister, Rebecca. One of Mary's great nieces and a namesake, Mary Blakiston (1852 -1930) was a wealthy civic leader in Philadelphia, founder or the children's playground movement in the city. The family maintained an important presence in the city for generations. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a mahogany frame with inlay. Sampler size: 16" x 17"
Price: $11,000.
AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER
M. Finkel as Daughter.
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Pair of Samplers by E. Faith, English, 1815 This excellent pair of miniature samplers was worked by E. Faith; interestingly they are both dated August 5, 1815, indicating that they were completed on the same day. Each depicts a peacock, one in full fan and one with it's tail closed and each is composed within a large arching branch. It is quite fortunate that these two pieces have remained together. Both peacocks were worked with a wonderful eye for detail. The plummage, whether in full fan or relaxed, exihibits strong color and texture and the graceful compositions contribute nicely.
Worked in silk on linen, both samplers have a fine couched silk edging. They both remain in excellent condition and have been conservation mounted into 19th century maple frames with gold liners. Size of each sampler: 5314'' x 5W' Size of each frame: 8W' x 7lfz'' Price for the pair: $8800.
M. Finkel 6J Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLE R AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
Mary L. Little, Dennis Creek, Cape May Co., N.J., 1835
The great majority of genealogical samplers were made in New England as, for unknown reasons, this genre did not gain popularity in the mid-Atlantic or Southern states. We were very pleased to have discovered this rare family record sampler, worked in Cape May County, New Jersey, the southern tip of the state. While samplers from Burlington, Gloucester and Salem counties survive in great numbers, few samplers of any type are known from the Cape May area. Dennis Creek was a small ship building town nicely situated on both sides of the creek of the same name, 7 miles north of Cape May Court House. An 1834 gazetteer of New Jersey notes that the town included 30 to 40 dwellings, 2 taverns, 5 stores and a gristmill. It is remarkable that such a welldeveloped sampler was made there, evidencing the presence of a teacher of substantial aptitude. Mary L. Little was the daughter of Samuel Little and Eleanor (Garrison) Little and her sampler includes lengthy inscriptions regarding the birth dates of both parents and their four children. She was nine year old when she worked this handsome sampler in 1835. A fine two-chimney house, potted flowers, little trees and birds, and a pair of wreaths containing birds decorate the sampler and it is all surrounded by a leafy border of flowers and buds. Genealogical research has revealed further information about Mary L. Little. In 1854, at age 28, she married sea captain Aaron Van Kirk, as his second wife, remaining in Dennis Creek. Along with her step-children, she raised two sons and two daughters and her husband died in 1896. Mary died in 1914 and copies of both Aaron's will and Mary's will are included in the file that accompanies the sampler. This sampler is in excellent condition with one stabilized area of weakness. It has been conservation mounted into a molded and black painted frame. Sampler size: 20" x 20 1N'
Price: $8800.
AMERicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND
EEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
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Thankful Dyer, Provincetown, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1817
The ancestors of Thankful Dyer came to America in the mid 17th century, settled initially in Rhode Island and by the early 18th century settled in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. Provincetown, located at the extreme point of Cape Cod, is best known for its fine harbor, and was the first place the Mayflower landed on her way to Plymouth in 1620. This was also where William Dyer and his wife Peggey Snow made their home after their marriage in 1790. They became the parents of nine children; the seventh was Thankful Dyer, maker of this sampler, who was born in 1804. Her sampler records the births of her parents and their offspring and the early deaths of two of the infants along with a solemn prayer. Research indicates that William Dyer was struck by lightening and died in 1819. The sampler features a traditional composition in many respects. The family record information is worked in the center in black lettering, resembling printed or written information, while the border provides a handsome design in which the samplermaker shows her creativity and skill. While many family record samplers were made in the more northern and central areas of Massachusetts, we have not previously seen one from Provincetown and know of no related samplers. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition with very minor areas of weakness. It has been conservation mounted into a black molded and painted frame. Sampler size: 19W' x 24W' Price: $4800.
M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
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Maria Philippa Grojan, England, 1777 A little English sampler was worked in 1777 and the maker included a particularly endearing exhortation. The name seems to indicate that the family was of southern European extraction but the sampler closely resembles English examples of the same period. Tiny red stitches form the alphabet with its duplicate letters, and the little hearts and diamond motifs. Maria miscalculated the space necessary to complete her wording and finished it in a smaller font. Worked in silk on wool, the sampler is in excellent condition with one minor area of weakness. It has been conservation mounted into a 19th century maple frame. Sampler size: 6" x 7314'' Price: $1800.
Mary Anne Parsons, Worthing National Infant School 2, England, 1833 The National Schools of England came out of a Church of England movement established in 1811 to provide an education for all students; with children from poor families the greatest focus. While religion was to be taught foremost, one can occasionally find samplers made at these schools as well, indication that the curriculum included samplermaking for its female students. Historically the schools for beginning students at the nursery school and kindergarten levels were called "infant schools" and frequently these children were taught to make their first samplers. This miniature sampler was made by Mary Anne Parsons who attended the Worthing National Infant School 2 in 1833, and likely lived in Worthing, a seaside town due south of London and west of Brighton.
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Worked in deep blue silk on wool, the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a painted frame. Sampler size: 5W' x 5112'' Price: $1450. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND
EEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel e:J Daughter.
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Orphanage Sampler, Amsterdam, 1786 This small and very attractive Dutch sampler, worked in red on white, was most likely worked in an orphanage school in Amsterdam and has an unusual sensibility. The maker was practicing her alphabets as well as her ability to mark linens with initials, an important skill of the period. The various crowns and crest-like cartouches can be found on Dutch and German samplers made throughout the 18th century. They frequently contain dates, and, as in this case, a variety of initials. The book, Over Merklappen Gesproken, by M.G.A. Schipper-van Lottum features a very similar sampler, dated 1797, as figure 186.
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The edging of this sampler was beautifully accomplished with a double row of drawn-work. Note, as well, the free hand little tulip, rendered in the chain stitch, an unusual inclusion on this otherwise formal piece. Worked in silk on linen, this sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a 19th century gold frame. Sampler size: 93!4'' x 12 1/z" Price: $3800.
Maria Fondersmith, Pennsylvania, circa 1825 This small sampler features a lovely naturalistic border and an equally appealing verse. The anonymous poem celebrates the virtues of an honest heart over showy looks, the "outward forms" of a "garden's gayest pride. This was a popular les on in the early 19th century but rarely as well tated a on this sampler. The Fondersmith family ,¡as from outheastern Penn .¡lvania and of
in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition and has been conservation frame with a painted finish. Sampler size: 10" X 13lfz'' Price: rs DE.-\LER
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Sarah Polhemus, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, 1828
This unusually folky sampler was made by Sarah Polhemus of Hunterdon County, New Jersey in 1828. Sarah was 12 years and 6 months of age at the time, the daughter of Daniel and Rachel (Ramsey) Polhemus, who were part of the large Dutch American population that lived in northern New Jersey and New York for centuries. The emigrant ancestor on the paternal side of this family was Rev. Johannes Theodorus Polhemus (1598-1676) who was minister of the Reformed Church of Holland in Flatbush, New York. In 1839 Sarah married a farmer, John Stires, and they lived in Readington, Hunterdon County where they had at least five children. The top and bottom borders of Sarah's sampler are pictorial with a house, a ship in sail, many hearts, fruit trees and birds with her initials worked twice. Alphabets, bands of patterns and a moralistic four-line verse fill the interior. The name Miss Amy Londe appears above the largest heart and is likely that of Sarah's teacher. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a maple and cherry cornerblock frame. Sampler size: 171/ / ' x 16 1/ / '
detail
Price: $9800.
AMERicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel e:J Daughter.
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Fishing Party, Lisbon, Portugal, 1836
This fine and beautifully worked silk embroidered scene is entitled "Fishing Party," and is of a genre that gained great popularity in the 18th and early 19th centuries: the depiction of refined young ladies and gentlemen engaged in leisurely country activities. The source of this composition was a painting by the British artist Richard Westall (1765-1836). Westall attended the Royal Academy, and late in life became drawing master to Princess Victoria. His work had been printed by various engravers and was known worldwide in the period. Although our needleworker did not sign her embroidery, she did note that she stitched it in Lisbon. At this time, early-mid 19th century, Lisbon was known for its harbor, and therefore as a port city of significant trade. Many foreign merchants, from England, France, Holland, etc. resided here. This silk embroidery was likely made by a young English girl living with her family in Lisbon. It was quite common for a needlework teacher to assign prints for her students to replicate; an
advanced task for the students, as is reflected in the excellent workmanship of the piece. The fine stitches create wonderful movement throughout the composition, seen in the river's current, the directions of the fishing poles and the flow of the women's skirts. The sky is outstanding in that minute stitches recreate the engraving's stippled effect. Note that no watercolor was applied; the various colored stitches are what determine the clouds versus blue sky. Good detail is apparent throughout: in the gentleman's striped vest, the ladies' plumed hats, the French knots worked to create the flowers' centers, the woman's necklace, and the stitches creating the ringlets of hair. Worked in silk on silk, this embroidery remains in excellent condition. It remains in its outstanding original mahogany and maple frame. Sight size: 14114'' x 153f/'
Overall framed size: 193f/' x 2!1/."
Price: $6200.
Dinah Walker, silk embroidered Map of Europe, Dean, Cumberland, England, 1813 "The stitching of map samplers began in the eighteenth century, when school curricul ums broadened to emphasize more practical subjects such as mathematics, geography, civics, and the natural sciences. To aid in the study of geography, girls created map samplers," according to Samplers From A to Z by Pamela A. Parma!, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. These were ambitious projects, as the makers were expected to pay exceptional attention to detail. In 1813, Dinah Walker, a 16 year old schoolgirl living in the village of Dean, Cumberland County, in northern England created this silk embroidery of a map of Europe with extraordinarily fine needlework and detail. This is one of finest map embroideries we have come across in many years.
Each geographic place name, outline and delineation was accomplished in needlework, unlike many maps which incorporate some ink or watercolor. Fine black stitches were worked with great precision to form the block letters throughout and the scripted font and calligraphic scrolls used for the inscription. Chenille and silk threads in varying shades were couched down to indicate various boundaries and latitude and longitude lines. A wealth of genealogical information descended with this piece. The Walker family was Quaker, members of the Pardshaw Monthly Meeting, and records indicate that Dinah was born in 1797 to Joseph and Ann (Mirehouse) Walker. As an older lady, Dinah married Joseph Robinson of the nearby town of Armaside. Following her death in 1865, the silk embroidery remained in the family until the 20th century. It was worked in silk on silk and is in excellent condition with very minor loss, in its original mahogany frame. Sight size: 22W' x 20W' Price: $4800. AM ERicA's LEADL'\c sAMPL E R AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel e:J Daughter.
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Sally G. Lovejoy, Wilton, New Hampshire, circa 1810 A delicately worked little sampler was made by Sally G. Lovejoy, who states on it that she was born March 10 of 1801. Sally's ancestors had lived in America for seven generations and their founding father was John Lovejoy who emigrated from England and was one of the first settlers of Andover, Massachusetts. According to the History of the Town of Wilton, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire by Livermore and Putnam (1888), Sally's father, Henry Lovejoy was born in Andover in 1753 and served in the Revolutionary War in campaigns in Vermont and Rhode Island. Henry married Elizabeth Cummings and they settled in Wilton, New Hampshire, a small town approximately 20 miles southwest of Manchester. Sally's sampler includes alphabets and a moralistic verse which is typical of the period; it exhorts us to forget our mirth on earth when compared to the delights of heaven. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition with one area of minor weakness to the linen. It has been conservation mounted and is in a gold leaf frame. Sampler size: 6114'' x 5lfz'' Price: $3850.
Pair of Birds and Rings Silk Embroidery, Europe, circa 1820 This highly decorative little embroidered picture is a fine example of some of the work produced in the first decades of the 19th century in southern Europe. Coiled metallic threads and embellishments were couched to the silk and delicate silk embroidery formed the blossoms, leafy fronds, monogram and sawtooth border. This may have been a marriage piece as indicated by the symbolic pair of birds, interlocked rings and Greek cross. Worked in silk and metallic thread on silk, it is in very good condition with some very small holes. It is in the late 19th century oak frame that housed it for many year . Size of the needlework: 4114'' x 6" Overall frame size: 7W' x 91 " Price: $1850.
Nabby B. Tirrell, Weymouth, Massachusetts, 1823
The town of Weymouth, southeast of Boston, is one of New England's earliest towns, settled in 1622, second only to Plymouth. Nabby Bates Tirrell was born there in 1814, a daughter of Norton and Abigail (Bates) Tirrell, and she worked this handsome sampler when she was 9 years old in 1823, including the name of her town within her inscription. Additionally, alphabets and two lines of verse appear along with a folky scene of free-form trees and a flower basket. Little flowering plants grow out of a sawtooth lawn and the overall effect is charming. The History of Weymouth, Massachusetts, published in 1923, indicates that Nabby married Bela Lyon Pratt in 1840 and their six children were born there, as well. She died in 1882. Her sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a painted frame.
Sampler size: 17W x 16W
Price: $3800.
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SELECTED NEEDLEWORK BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, Gloria Seaman. Family Record Genealogical Watercolors and Needlework. Washington, DC: DAR Museum, 1989. A Maryland Sampling: Girlhood Embroidery, 1738-1860. Maryland Historical Society, 2007. Bolton, Ethel Stanwood and Coe, Eve Johnston. American Samplers. Boston: The Massachusetts Society of the Colonial Dames of America, 1921. Browne, Clare and Jennifer Wearden. Samplers from the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: V&A Publications, 1999. 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, 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. Quaker School Girl Samplers from Ackworth. Needleprint & Ackworth School Estates Limited, 2006. lvey, 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. Parma!, Pamela A. Samplers from A to Z. Boston, Massachusetts: MFA Publications, 2000. Ring, Betty. American Needlework Treasures. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1987. Girlhood Embroidery: American Samplers & Pictorial Needlework, 1650-1850, New York. 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. Schipper-van Lottum, M.G.A. Over merklappen geproken ... Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Wereldbibliotheek bv, 1996. Schorsch, Anita. Mourning Becomes America: Mourning Art in the New Nation. Clinton, New Jersey: The Main Street Press, 1976.
M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AMERICA's LEADI
c sA.\fPLER A.'\'D NEEDLEwoRK D EALER
Consenation _ ounting of Antique Samplers and Needlework Because of the importan ro • a· on i ion plays in the field of antique samplers and needlework, we strive to insure that the e ·.:-e- un ergo proper preservation while in our care. Below is a step-by-step description of the ··con en·a ion mounting·· process. Our techniques are simple and straightforward; we remove the dust and dirt parti le mechanicall , never wet-cleaning the textiles. We use only acid-free materials and museum-approve techniques throughout the process. Please call us if you have any questions in this regard.
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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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Re-fit 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 blocks 97% of the harmful ultraviolet 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 Abigail Shearman, 1764 page 5
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detail of sampler by Dolly Sheller, 1800 page 20
est. 1947
M. Finkel e:J Daughter. AMERICA'S LEADING ANTIQUE SAMPLER &
EEDLEWORK DEALER
936 Pine Street. Philadelphia . Pennsylvania. 19107-6128 215-627-7797.800-598-7432. fax 215-627-8199
www.samplings.com
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