VOLUME XXXVIII
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
(detail of sampler by Elizabeth Marks, page 9)
(detail of sampler by Margaret Howe, page 6)
CopyrightŠ 2010 by M. Finkel & Daughter, Inc. All rights reserved.. ¡o part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or an: information storage and retrieval system now known or to be inven ed. without the permission in writing from M. Finkel & Daughter. lnc. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Welcome to our Samplings catalogue, Volume XXXVIII ...
\\ e hope that you enjoy this catalogue, our 38th 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 insighl 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 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 63rd 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 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 Monday through Friday, and are available on weekends except when we are exhibiting at antiques 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. Please let us know if you would like us to email you additional or larger photos than appear in this catalogue. The majority of the pieces in the catalogue have not yet appeared on our website so as to give our catalogue subscribers the advantage of having a first look. Should your choice be unavailable, we would be happy to discuss your collecting objectives with you. Our inventory is extensive, and we have many other samplers that are not included in our catalogue but which are on our website. Moreover, through our sources, we may be able to locate what you are looking for; you will find us knowledgeable and helpful. Payment may be made by check, VISA, Mastercard, or American Express. Pennsylvania residents should add sales tax. All items are sold with a five day return privilege. Expert packing is included: shipping and insurance costs are extra. We prefer to ship via UPS ground or Federal Express air, insured. \\ e look fonvard to your phone calls and your interest.
www.samplings.com Please check our website for a more expanded, and frequently updated, inventory of our samplers
Amy Finkel Morris Finkel Jamie Banks mailbox@samplings.com 800-598-7 432
Are you interested in selling? We are 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. Please call us for more information.
AMERicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF CONTENTS
Hannah Arkell, England, 1786 ............................................................ 10 Lydia Ayer, Haverhill, Massachusetts, 1793-94 ............................................... 19 Embroidered "Pot Holder" by Ann Elizabeth Bull, Woodbury, CT, c. 1835-40 .................... 29 Linsey-Woolsey sampler by Sophia Cogswell Currier of Dover, NH, 1818 ......................... 2 Harmony D. Curtis, Worthington, Massachusetts, 1831 ...................................... 28 Jane Downing, Derby, England, 1797 ...................................................... 17 Embroidery on Paper, American, circa 1820 ................................................ 15 Silk Embroidery by Ellen Forbes, New Haven, Connecticut, circa 1820 ......................... 23 Mary Fox, Mrs. Wood's School, Florida, Orange County, New York, 1843 ........................ 20 Samplers by Sisters Charlotte Frye & Miranda Frye of Andover, MA, 1811 & 1822 ................ 12 Ann Hollinpriest, England, circa 1800 ............................................ ......... 23 Lucy Howe, England, 1811 ............................................................... 26 Margaret Howe, ''White Dove School," Deerfield, Massachusetts, 1827 ........................... 6 Delia Hull, Durham, Connecticut, 1812 .................................................... 30 Jane Humphreys, Philadelphia area, Pennsylvania, 1790 ........ ...... ....................... .. 7 Mary Ann Kendall, Ashby, Massachusetts, circa 1827 ......................................... 11 Lois Killam, Boxford, Massachusetts, circa 1820 .............................................. 1 Louisa Lawrence, Hollis, New Hampshire, 1819 ............................................. 27 Elizabeth Ann Marks, probably New Jersey, 1808 ............................................. 9 Sarah Jane K. Newman, "Maryland Hospital," Baltimore, MD, 1844 ............................ 24 Needleworked Pocket, New England, 1831 .................................................. 8 Jane Nosworthy, probably American, 1815 .................................................. 18 Mary F. Odiorne, Durham, New Hampshire, 1831 ........................................... 16 Clarrissa L. Pratt, Emily Comstock teacher, Southbridge, Massachusetts, 1827 ................... 28 Rebecca Raisner, Lambertville, New Jersey, 1831 .................................. .. ...... .. 14 Sarah Ross, American, 1803 .............................................................. 18 Janet Scott and Ann Scott, teacher: Janet Anderson, Glasgow, Scotland, circa 1819 ................ 4 Silk Embroidery of a Bird Feeding Her Young in a Nest, Philadelphia, c. 1810 ................... 26 Silk Embroidery of a Shepherdess and a Windmill, American, circa 1800 ........................ 8 Mary Stears, "A Model of Ackworth School," Yorkshire, England, 1778 ......................... 31 Amy Gertrude Swaine, Queensbury National School, England, 1890 ........................... 15 Jane Taylor, Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1794 ............................................. 3 Needleworked Thread Case, American or English, circa 1830 .................................. 25 Eliza Weed, Family Register Sampler, Rockingham, Vermont, 1821 .. . ......................... 20 Mary G. Whitney, teacher: Susan Piper, Stow, Massachusetts, 1819 ............................. 22 Arrah A Wilhite, Sullivan, Moultrie County, Illinois, circa 1860 ................................. 5
(detail of sampler by Miranda Frye, page 13)
M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
1
Lois Killam, Boxford, Massachusetts, circa 1820
~ lendid needlework and whimsy characterize this large, outstanding sampler, which was made by Lois Killam of Boxford, Massachusetts. A plethora of pictorial work fills the interior, which is framed by a narrow red and gray sawtooth border, and the wide outer border is of a quality and interest rarely found. While other Boxford samplers bear resemblance to this piece, there is a fresh, folk quality to the composition that holds enormous appeal and renders it very unusual. Images such as the large birds perched on the roots of the two fruit trees, assorted bugs and large butterflies, birds pecking at baskets of fruit animate the sampler well. The great variety of arrangements of flowers, garlands of flowers and vining borders of flowers provided Lois with a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate her skill.
Born on March 19, 1808, Lois was the eldest of ten children of Samuel and Lois (Holt) Killam of Boxford, 26 miles north of Boston. The Killam family had resided there for many generations and much information is published in various town history books and family genealogies. The Killam land was part of a 550 acre grant ¡ ¡en to Governor John Endicott in 1639; 100 acres and a house and bam were conveyed to Thomas Killam in 1-01 I 02, after the marriage of a granddaughter of the Governor to a Killam ancestor. The Dwellings of Boxford, by Sidney Perley (The Essex Institute, 1893), indicates that Lois and family lived on this family homestead. We can estimate that this sampler was made when Lois was approximately 12 years old. In 1828 he married William Hale Herrick (1806-1858), a farmer, also of Boxford. They became the parents of three sons and, as a widow, Lois continued to live on this farm with her son Israel, a successful farmer and mill ner his wife and their children. Another son, William Augustus Herrick, became a highly distinguished -yer in Boston. e sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition, and has been conservation mounted a maple and cherry frame. Sampler size: 21" x 17%''
Frame size: 25W' x 22W'
Price: $22,000.
AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
2
Linsey-Woolsey Sampler by Sophia Cogswell Currier, Dover, New Hampshire, 1818 This is an excellent sampler made in Dover, New Hampshire where there existed a well-documented tradition of making linsey-woolsey samplers in the early decades of the 19th century. Finely worked letters in a very good and delicate palette of colors are carefully composed inside an outstanding wide border of large blossoms and buds on a leafy vine. The sampler holds strong appeal and the accompanying information regarding the maker's family is fascinating - an outstanding combination. The sampler descended in the family of origin until very recently, along with an endearing poem written circa 1920 (see below) by Winthrop Edwards Fiske, a teacher at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. Mr. Fiske composed the poem as a narrative about how the sampler was discovered inside a piece of furniture, a family heirloom, by his wife, Mabel Cilley Fiske, a descendant of the samplermaker. The sampler was then presented to her younger sister, Helen Cilley. Sophia Cogswell Currier was a great aunt of the sisters. Born on AprillO, 1807, Sophia was the daughter of Jacob Morrill Currier and his wife Sophia (Cogswell) Currier, the second of their seven children. The Currier family in America descended from Richard Currier (1616-1685) who was born in Strawberry Bank, near Glasgow, Scotland and who emigrated to America by 1643. Sophia and her family resided in Dover, 12 miles north and west of Portsmouth. Sophia worked this fine sampler when she was eleven years of age (in her I twelfth year) and would have been attending school in Dover no doubt. Sadly, Sophia died at age 28, 1h" Ft or:• r:hc-rt · "'1 .-! .-: unmarried. Her sampler descended to her sister, rll re ..cot·lr:c frcw •_he "cr1•r.,.t'ot• lta ee· ... ·:a-.. c · ,.~. !r: 1 Harriet, and thence to Harriet's daughter and " !.'t'J":I • ft're . r.,1 p•zzlPP, ·:d rei ... ,. 1::. • granddaughters, the aforementioned great-nieces of "he tht1 ·t-: re • .l(,cl: the maker. Interestingly these great-nieces, Mabel and <.:1":- tC' tt cr.;:!'l"r fi":".:: ,. Helen, were both longtime librarians at Phillips Exeter Academy, where their father, Bradbury :c~:~:" Y~:: .:·: L~·_!' ~:e 1 -~~ ~::~~=~:~~ ~ ~~~~:n :.:~~~r~:~~~:.~~::' Longfellow Cilley, was a legendary classics instructor. '"'~-:~.', ,.- ''3b~l : ' t lt rolL:<! t-~ l>t ~~ .. ~·~ r.,·. ) . . .. ·'J.~~ ..
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The file that accompanies this sampler contains I substantial additional further information about this family, including specifics regarding Sophia's maternal ancestors. Col. Amos Cogswell, her grandfather, served in the Revolutionary War and later in the state legislature and senate. The sampler was worked in silk on green linsey-woolsey and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a fine figured maple and cherry frame. Sampler size: 17W' x 15W'
Frame size: 21 W' x 19W'
Price: $9400.
M. Finkel e:J Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
3
Jane Taylor, Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1794 century ers made in -r.er County n.s:·· -ania have ~ e subject of _ _· scholars and ince the - They feature <:Sregjonal rh::.r..rreristics, · ·cated design expert needlework. uences on this edlework include e samplermaking traditions from Philadelphia, specifically the bands compartments, · !. pine trees, een's-stitched motifs listings of family names, all worked in tiny silk stitches onto gauze-like linen. The borders of double lines \'ith flowers and buds are also regionally specific; however, the teresting comer · \·er-like elements, a _ ong visual addition, are unusual. Appearing along with alphabets and moral aphorisms are inscriptions that read: '·Jane Taylor's work done I in the 15th year of her I age" and "the names of the seven children of John Taylor I & Elizabeth his wife. Mary Eliza John I Ann Jane Sarah & David Taylor 1794." Information about this family is published in the highly regarded 1881 volume, History of Chester County with Genealogical and Biographical Sketches (Futhy and Cope). John Taylor was born in Ireland and resided in Willistown Township with his wife Elizabeth. Their children were born there between 1768 and 1784; the samplermaker Jane was born on March 14, 1780. Notable was her brother John Taylor, Jr. (1775- 1820), a lawyer and egislature who served as the Chief Judge of the Superior Court of Mississippi. Jane married Amos \ ·orthington (b. 1773) in 1799 and they resided in West Goshen where they raised seven children: Isaac, John, ilmer, Carver, Malinda, Amos and Lewis. Their most accomplished child was Dr. Wilmer Worthington, physician, a founder of the American Medical Association and member of the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, an advocate for public school education. Further information about this family accompanies e needlework. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into an early gold leaf frame. Sampler size: 13W' x 10%"
Frame size:
15 ~"
x 12%"
Price: $5200.
AME RicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
4
Janet Scott and Ann Scott, teacher: Janet Anderson, Glasgow, Scotland, circa 1819 Scottish schoolgirls produced a very large body of outstanding pictorial needlework, replete with highly developed houses and large trees set on lawns greatly populated with animals. These two praiseworthy examples were made in Glasgow by Janet Scott and her younger sister Ann Scott; both were taught by Janet Anderson, a highly talented instructress whose students have produced a distinctive body of work well represented by the Scott sisters' samplers. The pair of large, backwards-looking birds and the huge peacock dominating the roof line of the house seem to have been Janet Anderson's trademarks. As is typically the case for Scottish samplers, Janet and Ann named both of their parents, William Scott and Ann Weir, on their work. They also each indicated that they "sowed this sampler," and each included lists of family initials. Records indicate that William and Ann were married in 1802, and that Janet was christened in 1803 and Ann in 1810.
The sisters used the classic, vibrant Scottish palette of predominantly green and red to excellent advantage. The samplers were worked in silk and wool on linen and are both in excellent condition. They have been conservation mounted into painted and molded frames. Janet's sampler size is 17W' x 12W' Ann's sampler size is 17%" x 13" Janet's frame size is 19W' x 14W' Ann's frame size is 19%" x 15" Price: $11,000.
M. Finkel 6S Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
5
Anah
Wtlhite, Sullivan, Moultrie County, Illinois, circa 1860
rs ,·ere made ·o. and even - examples can be en ted; ..._......... ~: · body of .....-~~...........n:'Or • dates later made in the _ .irtue of the dates :_ - se ements of the ·ons of these --: Indiana, Illinois perhaps further west. ·- · a rare, large, '" · wrial sampler made .· Arrah A Wilhite, a aaughter of pioneers of _'oultrie County, located ·.... central Indiana. Arrah ....: born there in 1851, - - eldest child of Dr. . -· ua B. Wilhite and his ·:e . 1artha A (Fleming) - le who were :narried in 1849 in ullivan, the county seat. _1oultrie County was r<Sanized as a county in :~ 3 and Sullivan was rporated in the ter of 1850. Wilhite family ·gina ted with Michael Willheit I Willert I Wilhoit of Germany who emigrated in 1717, joining the famed ~rrnanna Colony of Virginia. Some generations later, Enoch Wilhite was born in Virginia in 1793. He removed to Kentucky and then, by 1820, to Crawford County, Illinois. He settled in Hutsonville where he rated an important tavern at a stage coach stop for many years, according to the History of Crawford and Clark Counties, Illinois, by William Henry Perrin. His son Joshua was born there in 1824 and after his marriage to Martha A. Fleming and their removal to Sullivan; they became the parents of three daughters, Arrah, Lulu and Ella. The 1850 census shows the couple in Moultrie County with Joshua listed as a physician. He died on December 1, 1856. The 1860 census of the same location shows Martha, a widow, and her three daughters, living with her parents, Elijah and Martha Fleming. In 1862 Martha married Enos Siler, county and surveyor and miller, and the family then lived in Tuscola, Douglas County, Illinois. The 1870 census indicates that Arrah, age 20, was a teacher. It seems likely that she married, as by 1880 she is no longer living .,;th her mother, step-father and sisters (both of whom were employed in fields related to needlework - one . :as a milliner and the other a dressmaker).
Arrah likely worked her sampler circa 1860 and named on it both of her parents: Martha A. Wilhite and JB 'ilhite, deceased at that point. She included various alphabets and a red double chimney house with the lassie title, "Sweet Home," derived from the popular song from an 1823 opera. An energetic and beautifully ·orked band of Irish stitch provides further appeal and abstracted strawberry borders frame the sampler well. I \'as worked on linen that was woven with blue warp threads as every tenth row; this facilitated counting and was popular in the mid 19th century. Worked in silk, the sampler is in very good condition with some stabilization to the linen. It has been conservation mounted into a maple bevel and cornerblock frame. Sampler size: 21" x 19W'
Frame size: 25W' x 23%"
Price: $11,500.
AME RICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
6
Margaret Howe, "White Dove School," Deerfield, Massachusetts, 1827 An outstanding group of samplers was worked at the "White Dove School" in Deerfield, Massachusetts for many years from the late 18th century through the first decades of the 19th century. Along with the white doves from which the group takes its name, motifs that identify these samplers include the central basket with fruit arranged in pyramid formation, leggy black dogs with collars, distinctive pine trees with small rounded bumps along the bottom, bands of solidly stitched hearts and a similarly worked tablet which contains the name of the maker and date of the sampler. Our sampler, worked in 1827 by Margaret Howe, is a recently discovered addition to this group, exhibiting many of the characteristics of this school, with the exception of the white doves themselves. Margaret was born on February 5, 1818, and states on her work that she was 9 years old; indeed the sampler was finished on her ninth birthday, February 5, 1827. She was born to a family residing in Springfield, Massachusetts, south of Deerfield along the Connecticut River Valley. Her father was Moses Howe and her mother Orra Hancock, who was from a prominent family of Hartford County, Connecticut, located further south in the Valley. A book entitled Springfield
Memories Odds and Ends of Anecdote and Early Doings Gathered From Manuscripts, Pamphlets and Aged Residents, by Mason A Green (Springfield, 1876), includes mention of Moses Howe. Margaret didn't marry and died in 1903, buried in Springfield Cemetery. The inscriptions on the sampler read, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Trust in God. Blessed are those the Pure in heart: for they shall see God." The sampler was worked in silk on tan colored linen. It is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a 19th century veneer frame. Sampler size: 17W' x 12%"
Frame size: 19W' x 14%"
Price: $4850.
M. Finkel 6j Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
7
Jane Humphreys, Philadelphia area, Pennsylvania, 1790 century samplers _· Quakers in lphia and its · te surrounding areas - :~e strong regional cteristics and excellent ,·ork. The row of pine _ · and the finely worked • queen's-stitched r:-r.,..,, ••"'rries on this _::,-:anding sampler made by ~ Humphreys are -·ca ors of both the regional and the high standards : instructresses of the Humphreys family was minent in Philadelphia and er County, and some ers made within this - ~ _: have been published .: - ..-ell-documented by <e-~"' '"'"" in the field: erican Samplers by +- n and Coe, 1921, strates a highly significant ·- -work 1771 sampler - v • .ru..u by a young lady Jane Humphreys, plate XXXVI. She was born in 1759, the daughter of Joshua and Sarah (Williams) hreys. Along with another family sampler, made by Jane's niece, Ann, in 1796, this was donated to the ...,.,.., . . =-,:>lphia Museum of Art in 1914 by a Humphreys descendant, Miss Letitia Humphreys. Jane's white-work --:- er. considered one of the treasures of the museum's collection, is illustrated as plate 153 in The Fine Art • i?xtiles Philadelphia Museum of Art, by Dilys Blum. 52Illpler that we offer now was most assuredly worked within the same family and was very likely made by ·sely the same talented Jane Humphreys, who remained unmarried and died in 1838. It can be difficult to .. the identity of a samplermaker with certainty, but strong attribution is more than appropriate. The mrnon verse that Jane worked on our sampler was also documented in the Bolton and Coe book, where it ted that the name of the author of it is Hannah Hollingsworth. As a further enticing clue, we find that the r of the Humphreys sampler at the Philadelphia Museum was the daughter of Andrew and Rebecca - · gsworth) Humphreys. The family connections seem to be substantial. · _ · d in silk on linen, the sampler remains in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a - ~wany beveled frame with a wide outer bead. er size: 17" x 16%"
Frame size: 21" x 20%"
Price: $5800.
~ JERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
(detail)
M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
8
Needleworked Pocket, New England, 1831 Often made as small personal gifts to be presented from one needleworker to another, pockets with charming embroidered pictorial elements or scenes can be found occasionally. This is a particularly endearing example, in pristine condition which contributes to its appeal. Three pocket fronts of black velvet are decorated with birds, leafy trees and a small cottage, framed with a delicate scalloped edging; a pale blue piping finishes the piece. It is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a painted 19th century beveled frame. Size of the pocket: 12W' x 3W'
Frame size: 16W' x 8%"
Price: $6800.
(details)
Silk Embroidery of a Shepherdess and a Windmill, American, c. 1800
111 ...
.........
Americans from the upper classes employed portrayals of gentlefolk enjoying leisure activities in the countryside as subject matter for samplers, needlework pictures and paintings. This small format silk embroidery is a splendid depiction of a young lady holding a shepherd's crook; her striped cotton chemise with doublepuffed sleeves was the height of fashion in the 1790s. Her headdress was formed of tall, willowy, exotic feathers, the fashion statement of the same period and a reaction to the heavy headdresses and hats of the 1770s.
Three other young ladies dance in a small circle and a young man is seated under a tree. A stream with ducks winds its way through the scene. A small windmill and a little cottage were needleworked, as well. It was executed in silk on silk with watercolor for the heads, faces and arms. It has been conservation mounted and remains in its fine original gold leaf frame. Sight size: 6" x 9W'
Frame size: 9" x 12W'
Price: $4200.
M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
9
Elizabeth Ann Marks, probably New Jersey, 1808
This splendid sampler features an outstandingly folky scene with a house and trees and birds- it was worked in 1808 by Elizabeth Ann Marks. The pictorial elements are at the same time simple and complex; for example the house is depicted frontally and with heavy, outline but the many-mullioned windows, fanlight and checkerboard chimneys with slanting black smoke provide unusual and highly appealing detail. The two large birds stand on their long legs on highly stylized trees, and a series of flowers and a potted arrangement float above. A rhythmic border frames the sampler very effectively. The classic verse reads, "When I am dead and in my I grave and all my bones are I rotten when this you see I remember me lest I should be forgotten" and the inscription continues "this was done by Elizabeth Ann Marks February 1808." The sampler descended in a family in southern New Jersey. It was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. Conservation mounted, it is now in a painted and beveled frame.
Sampler size: 15W' x 12%"
Frame size: 18W' x 16"
Price: $11,500.
AMERicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel 6i Daughter.
10
Hannah Arkell, England, 1786 One of our favorite published English samplers is that on the cover of the book, Samplers from the Victoria and Albert Museum by Clare Browne and Jennifer Wearden (Victoria and Albert Publications, 1999), and also as plate 56 inside the book. It is a rare and splendid pictorial sampler by Elizabeth Brain, dated 1785. We were delighted to have discovered another sampler, which is quite clearly worked at the same school, and which shares the salient characteristics that generate its similar enormous appeal. Worked just one year later and made by Hannah Arkell, this sampler features a sweeping hilly lawn and a curved pathway leading to a stunning brick house, very much like the scene that appears on Elizabeth's sampler. Whimsical animals and birds frolic amidst various trees. Hannah's sampler, again similarly to the V & Ns sampler, features an intertwining border on three sides that incorporates two bouquets in the upper comers. Both samplermakers used the same splendid two-line verse: "In Conversation Speak with Ease I Shun Barbarous works as Rocks in Seas."
The Museum does not know the specific origin of the Elizabeth Brain sampler, but author and curator Clare Browne has recently stated that it was bequeathed by a lady who resided in Ramsey Hall in Worthing, Sussex and the samplermaker was thought to have been an ancestor with similar origins. Perhaps genealogical research will result in the identification of Miss Brain and Miss Arkell, who likely overlapped as classmates at the same school. Worked in silk on wool, the sampler is in excellent condition with a few minor areas of weakness to the wool. It has been conservation mounted and is in a fine 19th century gold leaf frame. Sampler size: 12W' x 18W'
Frame size: 14%" x 20%"
Price: $14,000.
M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
11
Mary Ann Kendall, Ashby, Massachusetts, circa 1827 This outstanding, delicately worked family record sampler was made by MaryAnn Kendall, the daughter of Pairpoint and Sally (Damon) Kendall of Ashby, Massachusetts, a very small town located near the ew Hampshire border. Her father (variations of the spelling of his name include Pierpont, Peirpoint, Pairpont, etc.) was born in Dunstable in 1769 to Asa Kendall, who served in the Revolutionary War, responding, with his company, to the Lexington Alarm. During the war, he removed to Ashby with his wife Sarah. According to the book Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical Personal Memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts, by Ellery Bicknell Crane (1907), he became a prominent citizen of Ashby and held many public offices there. Pairpoint married Sally Damon (1772-1834) who had been born in Ashby, the daughter of Jacob and Anna Damon. The 1810, 1820 and 1830 census records include Pairpoint and his family in Ashby; he died in 1833 and his wife died in 1834. Mary was born in 1815 and at 12 years of age she worked this splendid family record sampler which combines a strong folk aesthetic with very high quality needlework. Outstanding flowers, buds, berries, leaves and grape bunches on delicate vines decorate the sampler and the composition is very appealing. This sampler was included in the groundbreaking exhibition, "Family Record: Genealogical Watercolors and Needlework," at the Daughters of the American Revolution National Museum in 1989, and published as figure 71 in the accompanying book by curator and scholar, Dr. Gloria S. Allen (a copy of this hard-to-find book will remain with the sampler). This provenance is considered highly significant. In January of 1835, Mary Ann married Sumner Sheldon, also of Ashby, born 1805, the son of William and Hannah (Page) Sheldon. He died just a few months later in April of that year. Further research may reveal whether Mary married again and other information regarding her adult life. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a gold leaf frame. Frame size: 20W' x 21"
Sampler size: 17W' x 17%"
Price: $14,500.
AMERicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
12
Samplers made by Sisters Charlotte Frye and Miranda Frye of Andover, Massachusetts, 1811 and 1822 We are pleased to offer an excellent pair of samplers worked by sisters, Charlotte and Miranda Frye, of Andover, Massachusetts, an early town on the Merrimack River, 20 miles northwest of Boston. Charlotte Frye was born in 1797, the eldest child of Peter and Hannah (Noyse) Frye who were married there in 1796; this branch of the Frye family had lived in Pembroke, New Hampshire for much of the 18th century, removing to Andover in 1762. Charlotte worked her sampler when she was 14 years old. Miranda was born in 1806, the last of the six Frye children. Her sampler was made in 1822 when she was 16 years old. The samplers each exhibit fine composition and are beautifully worked, with similarities yet with differences, as well. Charlotte's sampler is vertical in nature, a carry-over from the design of 18th century sampler composition. A hilly lawn forms the base for little trees and potted plants and flowers with splendid blossoms on vines growing out of a pair of baskets and forming the side borders. A graphic black and white low basket of flowers is the central focal point of this scene. Alphabets, a cautionary verse and Charlotte's inscription are all worked in carefully formed black stitches; a stylish and well-proportioned black and white framework forms a handsome border on three sides. Miranda's sampler is larger and square in format, more representative of sampler design of the 1820s. A foursided border features delicate vines with a wonderful and unusual assortment of large-blossom flowers, buds and leaves. These vines trail from a squat, loop-handled basket of flowers set on a low teal-blue platform and are joined in the center of the top by a lustrous blue bowknot. The verse, which speaks of being taught with "active hands I the arts of industry to know," is a very appealing one. Inner and outer narrow sawtooth borders contribute greatly to the success of the sampler, as well.
M. Finkel 6j Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND
EEDLEwoRK DEALER
13
Samplers made by Sisters Charlotte Frye and Miranda Frye of Andover, Massachusetts, 1811 and 1822 (continued) It is certainly possible that the same teacher taught both Charlotte and Miranda as the similarities in technique are sufficient and the quality of both samplers is very high. The lettering of the alphabets and the verse is almost identical and the phrasing of the inscription is virtually the same. Both samplermakers used a large basket filled with flowers as a prominent element centered along the bottom of the sampler. . ¡either Charlotte nor Miranda married and they remained with each other in Andover and the adjoining town of orth Andover. Census records from 1850, 1860 and 1870 show the sisters living together, along with another sister, Susan who was born in 1802. Charlotte died in 1874 and Miranda in 1880. Both samplers were worked in silk on linen and are in excellent condition. They have each been conservation mounted and are in maple and cherry frames. Charlotte's sampler size is 12" by 16" and Miranda's sampler size is 17%" by 17W' Charlotte's frame size is 15W' x 19W' and Miranda's frame size is 21 %" x 21 W' Price: $28,000.
AMERicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
14
Rebecca Raisner, Lambertville, New Jersey, 1831 We find this sampler to hold strong appeal both visually and due to its interesting family history. It was made by Rebecca Raisner, who, as she states on her sampler, was born on December 4, 1818. She was the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Crouse) Raisner, who were married in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and settled across the river in Lambertville, New Jersey. Joseph was a brick maker and well-regarded pottery maker, whose work is documented in Crafts and Craftsmen of New Jersey by Walter Hamilton Van Hoesen, and at great length in The Early Makers of Handcrafted Earthenware and Stoneware in Central and Southern New Jersey by M. Lelyn Branin. This lengthy account indicates the Raisner family settled in Lambertville in 1824 and operated a pottery manufactory in a two-story brick building in the village of Lambertville, on the north side of Hancock Street. Many of Raisner's business and real estate dealings that related to the brick and pottery businesses are documented between 1824 and his death in 1863.
History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania (William W. H. Davis, 1905), contains much information about the Crouse family, and mentions the marriage of Elizabeth Crouse to Joseph Raisner. Rebecca married Cornelius Arnett, also of Lambertville. He became a highly successful contractor and builder whose work was well known in Lambertville. The Centenary Methodist Church of Lambertville, built in 1865, is amongst his notable buildings. They had 9 children and the family was prominent in Lambertville throughout the mid 19th century. Cornelius was the administrator of Joseph Raisner's estate after his death. Rebecca died on November 27, 1890. Rebecca's handsome sampler, worked when she was 13 years old, indicates that she likely attended a Quaker school, as the composition, motifs and alphabets are specifically of Quaker design. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a mahogany frame. Sampler size: 16W' x 16W'
Frame size: 18W' x 18W'
Price: $3800.
M. Finkel aJ Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
15
Amy Gertrude Swaine, Queensbury National School, England, 1890 English schoolgirls continued to produce well made samplers throughout the 19th century, as evidenced by this delightful example made by 8-year-old Amy Gertrude Swaine in 1890. The Swaine family appears in both the 1881 and 1891 census: John Swaine was a blacksmith and the family consisted of his wife, Jane, their older son, Watson Swaine, and Amy, born circa 1882. They resided in Hunsworth Moor, Cleckheaton in Yorkshire, England, southwest of Leeds. Amy attended the National School in Queensbury, a nearby village.
Arny Ger- t .,...ude Sw .aine. N~. twnal SC'hool.
Amy stitched a classic quotation, one that had been used by samplermakers for centuries, and was written by famed English poet, Alexander Pope (1688 1744). Alphabets and a numerical progression appear above and a delicate border surrounds the work on four sides.
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Ed lJC'~.tiO'(f \8.90 ... Fo-rms the yo J thful );Yxind Just ~.s th€' =fY.JvJ~ i" .bE-nt th€ 1.\·e·e-s ~n"'lined
A~ E'd 8.
Sampler size: 11" x 9W'
Frame size: 14" x 12W'
The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is a late 19th century veneer frame. Price: $925.
Embroidery on Paper, American, circa 1820 Needlework on paper has always had an interesting appeal, as it allows for no missteps; the hole made by the needle must be incorporated into the work. This silk embroidery portrays a freeform arrangement of flowers in a low bowl or basket and offers great charm. The provenance of it also adds to its interest; for many years this was in the personal collection of the late usan Burrows Swan, long-term curator of textiles and needlework at Winterthur Museum and is accompanied by a note from her family. \ orked in silk on laid paper, it is in very good condition with some slight loss to the silk and remains in its original painted frame. Size of the needlework picture: 5" x 7"
Frame size: 7" x 9"
Price: $1100.
AMERicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
16
Mary R Odiorne, Durham, New Hampshire, 1831 The Odiorne family in America originated with John Odiorne (1627-1707) who was born in England and emigrated to New Hampshire prior to 1657. Genealogy of the Odiorne Family, by James C. Odiorne (Boston, 1875), documents the early history of this family, as well as the many contributions made by ensuing generations. The emigrant ancestor, John Odiorne, received two land grants circa 1660, both were for sections of land near Great Island, now Newcastle. The second parcel likely included land at the mouth of the Pascataqua River; it came to be known as Odiorne's Point. Six generations later Mary Folsom Odiorne was born to Theophilus and Sarah (Gordon) Odiorne. He was a farmer and they resided in Durham, New Hampshire on land near the Old Pascataqua Bridge. Amongst Mary's ancestors were shipmasters, mariners, farmers and merchants, typical trades from this area which derived its success from both the water and the farmlands. When Mary was 12 years old, she worked this praiseworthy sampler with outstanding baskets filled with flowers and side borders of fine large blossoms and buds on vines. 1\vo large birds and berries on branches were worked in the upper comers flanking a berry-laden branch with brilliant teal blue serrated leaves. The baskets sit on unusual jagged hillocks worked in vibrant shades of green which are echoed in the six large flowers of the side borders. She married John Hill, a farmer, also a resident of Durham. They had one child, Lydia who was born in 1852 and by 1860 the family lived in Madbury, just north of Durham. Mary died there in 1889. Her sampler remained in the area for many generations. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a beveled cherry frame with a maple outer bead.
Sampler size: 16%" x 16W'
Frame size: 20W' x 20"
Price: $8800.
M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
17
Jane Downing, Derby, England, 1797
Jane Downing stitched this large and exceptional polychrome sampler in 1797 at the age of 14. It features excellent needlework renderings of pictorial images in the splendid borders and bands; with striped baskets, geometric stars and urns rich with flowering plants, intermingling with decorative horizontal bands. The central focus of the sampler is a lengthy and carefully worked poem that is previously unknown to us and seems to be unpublished, yet it does somewhat relate to The Fair Penitent: A 'Iragedy, by English dramatist icholas Rowe (1674-1718); however, it may have been composed by Jane or by her teacher. The subject is a lovely and fair maiden, the pride of Albion's Isle (this is another name for Great Britain). Overall this is an unusual sampler, unlike the vast majority of those made by English schoolgirls in the 18th and 19th centuries. The research into Miss Downing's identity yielded only one candidate whose year of birth match that of the samplermaker; therefore, we can make the educated assumption that the maker was Jane Downing born Y1ay 19, 1783 to Joseph and Ann (Machen) Downing, in the village of Tibshelf in Alfreton, Derbyshire. Tibshelf, a small parish, was founded in 1626, and is located between Nottingham and Sheffield. The sampler was worked in brightly colored silks on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a fine figured maple frame. Sampler size: 18%" x 16"
Frame size: 22%" x 20"
Price: $4800. (detail)
AMERicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel et Daughter.
18
Jane Nosworthy, probably American, 1815 A handsomely presented and nicely worked sampler, this was made by Jane Nasworthy and finished on October 7, 1815. Jane practiced her upper case alphabets by working each letter twice, occasionally with slight variation to the font. The biblical aphorism, "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old He will not depart from it," appears on samplers occasionally and is one that we find to hold strong appeal. A pine tree, a geometric pattern of stepped blocks, and little hearts embellish the sampler and the large scale sawtooth borders at the top and bottom finish it well. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition, conservation mounted into a mahogany veneered frame. Sampler size: 12W' x 8W' Frame size: 14W' x lOW' Price: $2200.
Sarah Ross, American, 1803 Band samplers were popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries, and are quite appealing to collectors today. In 1803 Sarah Ross worked this lovely sampler in a warm polychrome palette. She revealed her skills with various stitches: eyelet, double cross stitch, Irish stitch, queen's-stitch and a fine drawnwork edging on all four sides. Large letters fill the top two-thirds of the linen ground; each row divided by a finely stitched decorative line. Wonderful little pictorial elements satisfy the space at the end of each alphabet, including some excellent queen's-stitch strawberries, birds and a four-legged white animal of sorts. Toward the bottom of her sampler, her alphabets become tighter and smaller, while her decorative bands become larger and more elaborate. Worked in silk on linen, Sarah's sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a molded, painted black frame. Sampler size: 17W' x 8W'
Frame size: 19W' x lOW'
Price: $1400.
M. Finkel e:s Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
19
Lydia Ayer, Haverhill, Massachusetts, 1793-94 The samplers of Haverhill, _1assachusetts have been the subject of scholarly research for quite some time. This praiseworthy example was worked by Lydia Ayer who was born on April 9, 1784, to James and Judith (Chase) Ayer, who were married in Haverhill in 1778. James was the son of Deacon John Ayer (1714-1777) and the Ayer family had resided in Haverhill for many generations at that point Lydia states on her sampler that she was "in the 10 year of her age," which dates it circa 1793 to 94. 1\vo of her Haverhill first cousins worked samplers that have been published in Betty Ring's
Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. 1: figure 142 is the sampler worked by Sally Ayer in 1780 and figure 143 is the sampler worked by Elizabeth Ayer in 1789. The fathers of Lydia, Sally and Elizabeth were brothers, the sons of Deacon John Ayer. The three samplers were likely worked at the same school, that of Misses Parker, and more information regarding this group is available on pages 124 to 130 of this volume. Yet another sampler, very similar to Lydia's, was made by Hannah Chase (perhaps a cousin on her mother's side) in 1794. The Haverhill samplers are distinguished by their elaborate side borders, with flowering vines often emanating from vases and inner borders of solidlystitched geometric designs. Lydia's sampler and that by Hannah Chase also feature the classic and highly recognizable Boston band design, which appears across the bottom of both samplers. Lydia died in 1803 at age 19 and her sampler remained in the area for many generations. The sampler was worked in silk onto two pieces of linen that were seamed together. It is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a beveled maple and cherry frame. Sampler size: 18" x 13W'
Frame size: 22" x 17W'
Price: $17,500.
AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER
M. Finkel as Daughter.
20
Mary Fox, Mrs. Wood's School, Florida, Onmge County, New York, 1843 The village of Florida is in Orange County, in southern New York State near the border with New Jersey; an 1832 geographical gazetteer indicates that there were about 70 houses, a church and an academy in the town. Mary Fox, born there in 1832, was the youngest of eleven children born to John and Sarah (Edsall) Fox, who married in 1808 at the Dutch Reformed Church of Warwick, a nearby town. Mary's sampler was made while she attended Mrs. Wood's School in Florida - a school that, to our knowledge, has not been previously recorded. The work is fine and Mary stitched an unusual set of poems, the first two stanzas on the right captured our attention. They begin with an entreaty that the enslaved African race be freed and that the race finds a place within Christianity - this, of course is a common theme of the period: "Oh when shall Africa's sable sons I Enjoy the heavenly word I And vassals long enslaved become I The freeman of the lord." Census records of 1860, 1870 and 1880 indicate that Mary hadn't married and continued to live with her parents in Warwick. An extensive family tree made within the Fox family also accompanies the sampler and this records the date of Mary's death in 1896. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition; it has been conservation mounted and is in a cherry molded frame. Sampler size: 16" x 16W' Frame size: 18W' x 19" Price: $2600.
Eliza Weed, Family Register Sampler, Rockingham, Vermont, 1821
Vermont samplers exist in far fewer numbers than those from other New England states and the majority of those known are simple and without strong pictorial composition. Eliza Weed, an 11 year old from a prominent family of Rockingham, Vermont created this - an extraordinary, pictorial family register sampler in 1821. Rockingham, Vermont is located in the southern part of the state on the Connecticut River, just above Bellows Falls. Joseph Weed married Deborah House there in 1805 and they became the parents of three children; Eliza was their youngest, born on December 24, 1809. Deborah House Weed died in 1812 and Joseph remarried in 1814 to Alice Cross, who had been born in 1793 in Mansfield, Connecticut. Their four children were born between 1815 and 1821. (continued on next page)
M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
21
Eliza Weed, Family Register Sampler, Rockingham, VT, 1821 (cont'd) Eliza made this sampler after the death of her father in late February of 1821. It records the marriages of Eliza's father and the births of all of his children, and the deaths of her parents. The sampler also features an excellent, well-developed house and garden scene, with sheep grazing on the hill at the right. The verse worked by Eliza describes her loss simply and poignantly.
The Vital Records of Rockingham, Vermont until 1845 and the Records of the First Church of Rockingham until1839 reveals much regarding this family. Both of Joseph's marriages, the births of Eliza and her two older sisters, and, in 1838, Eliza's marriage to Henry S. Crane, are thus documented. Additionally, the 1810 and 1820 census records include Joseph Weed residing in Rockingham. He served as Town Clerk of Rockingham from 1813 to 1820 as documented in the History of
Who loved
~n
iWr(
And !.aments 'I"P:rW dead Pays this smaJ tribute
1"'o .;. peace:fuJ shade wroo.p..t by Eiza Weed tE II years
the Thwn of Rockingham Vermont, published in 1907. In 1850, Eliza and Henry Crane were living in Mansfield, Connecticut with their three children, as well as in
1860. In 1880, Eliza Weed Crane, a widow, was living in Windham, Connecticut, with her daughter, Martha, and son-in-law, George Gallup. Alice Cross Weed Fiske, Eliza's stepmother, remarried after the death of Joseph \ eed. She later resided with her own daughter, Mary Weed who was the wife of Rev. William Malcomb, a prominent Vermont minister. This sampler is one of the most highly developed Vermont family register samplers known. The condition is excellent and it has been conservation mounted into a maple and cherry frame. ampler size: 21 W' x 17W'
Framed size: 251A'' x 211A''
Price: $18,500.
AMERicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
22
Mary G. Whitney, teacher: Susan Piper, Stow, Massachusetts, 1819 Solidly stitched samplers hold enormous appeal for obvious reasons; few samplermakers tackled these time consuming projects, although the results can be spectacular. Mary G. Whitney, age 12 in 1819 created this splendid example that is comprised of thousands and thousands of tiny stitches depicting three fully developed houses, and a band of fruit trees, a large pot of flowers with four little figures of young ladies tending to them. Alphabets above and many narrow sawtooth borders framing the work, it is surrounded by a lush border of blossoms, buds and leaves on a triple vine and signed, 'Worked by Mary G. Whitney in the twelfth year of her age I Under the care of Susan Piper August 13th Ad 1819." The Whitney family in America originated with John Whitney who arrived in Massachusetts in 1635 as part of the Great Migration. Five generations later Capt. Moses Whitney (1782-1856), a young farmer from Harvard, Massachusetts, married Lucy Gates (1787-1875) and they settled in Stow, Massachusetts, a small town located 24 miles west and slightly north of Boston. Moses Whitney served as captain of the home guard for some years, was Justice of the Peace of Stow and was a representative in the legislature for two years. The first born child of Moses and Lucy was Mary Gates Whitney, born August 31, 1807. The History of Stow, by Ethel B. Childs and published for the town's 300th anniversary in 1983, discusses the 'Whitney House," which was built in 1744 and deeded by Lucy's father, Samuel Gates, to Moses Whitney. A later photograph of the Whitney House, a fine New England saltbox, is shown as figure 11 in this book. In 1834 Mary married James Fordyce Whitney, a very distant cousin. He was a prominent merchant and active member of the Mason and Odd Fellow orders and the family held strong ties to both Stow and Albany, New York. They had seven children between 1836 and 1848 and Mary died in 1886. When a samplermaker specifies her teacher, in this case Susan Piper, it is very tempting to identify her, as well; our research led to a strong attribution of Miss Piper. Just northeast of Stow is Acton, and Susan Piper was born there in 1794, the daughter of Silas and Mehitable Piper. The History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, published in 1890, records the participation of Susan Piper during the celebrations of the new Meeting House of Acton. Susan was 25 years old in 1819 and was unmarried; if she was a talented needleworker it would stand to reason that she would have been a teacher. In 1826, age 32, Susan married a grocery merchant, Ira Gibbs, of Boston and they lived in Boston. An additional interesting note regarding the Piper family, recorded again in the History of Middlesex County is the fact that Susan's mother, Mehitable Piper lived to be 101 year and 2 months of age- this was highest recorded age in Acton. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition overall with some loss to the silk in the lower border. It has been conservation mounted and is in a 19th century gold leaf frame. Sampler size: 16%" x 16W'
Frame size: 19%" x 19W'
Price: $12,500.
M. Finkel 6j Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
Silk Embroidery by Ellen Forbes, New Haven, CT, circa 1820 Susan B. Swan, longtime curator of textiles and needlework at Winterthur Museum, had within her personal collection this fine small silk embroidery which is accompanied by extensive family notations and information. The needleworker was Ellen Forbes of New Haven, who was born circa 1808, daughter of Aaron Forbes (c. 1760-1831) and Abigail (Green) Forbes. Descendants of James Forbes of Hartford, Connecticut (c. 16351692) by Karen L. Forbes (Gateway Press, 1997), describes the family in great detail. Ellen depicted a handsome gathering of various specific flowers caught in a bouquet and surrounded by an oval border formed of budding leafy vines, a classic Federal composition. The excellent silk embroideries of Connecticut are highly regarded and many are included in a current exhibition at the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford: 11 Connecticut Needlework: Women, Art, and Family 1740-1840, 11 which will remain through March 26, 2011. According to family notations, Ellen died young and her silk embroidery came into the possession of her sister, Sarah Elizabeth Forbes, and then descended to Sarah's niece, Cora Forbes Saportas, who was then residing in New York City. The embroidery was worked in silk on silk and remains in excellent condition and is in its original black painted frame. Sight size: 8W' x 6W'
Frame size: 10%" x 9%"
Price: $2400.
Ann Hollinpriest, England, circa 1800 English samplermakers created a wonderful and specialized body of work: small samplers that are portrayals of specific buildings, both public and private. This is a perfectly charming sampler featuring a house which was likely that of the needleworker, Ann Hollinpriest. Details include windows with mullions, a blue slate roof, a door with fan light and doorknob and smoke coming out of the chimney in stylized curls. Angular trees and flowers hug the sides of the house while three slivers of clouds float above. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into its original black painted frame. Sampler size: 6" x 8W'
Frame size: 7W' x 9%"
Price: $1500.
AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel ~ Daughter.
23
24
Sarah Jane K. Newman, "Maryland Hospital", Baltimore, Maryland, 1844
We are very pleased to have recently acquired an important and newly discovered Baltimore sampler which depicts the Maryland Hospital, a large, stately brick building erected in the 1790s in Baltimore. This sampler was made by Sarah Jane Kemp Newman at age 8 and is a virtual mate to the well-known sampler made by Margery Jane McGuire, also in the 1840s, which is in the renowned collection of Betty Ring and published in two of her books. Both Miss Newman and Miss McGuire filled their enormous samplers with a highly detailed version of this hospital and its grounds. This institution was founded to care for patients afflicted with yellow fever, and in time expanded its mission to include the indigent and those suffering from mental illnesses. In A Maryland Sampling: Girlhood Embroidery 1738-1860, Dr. Gloria Seaman Allen publishes on p. 231 an 1848lithograph entitled "Baltimore Hospital" (used interchangeably with "Maryland Hospital") by August Kollner showing the building with its many windows, cupolas, chimneys, low outer walls and gates. Dr. Allen states that this building was tom down in 1873 and Johns Hopkins Hospital now occupies the site. The samplermaker was born on June 5, 1836, a daughter of Thomas and Mary Elizabeth (Kemp) Newman who were married in 1828 at the First Methodist Episcopal Church in Baltimore. The baptismal records for Sarah and her siblings indicate that the family remained members of this congregation, located in the Fells Point neighborhood, for some years. Thomas Newman was a carpenter whose listings in Baltimore directories included a location at the comer of Cough Street and Happy Alley in 1842, and 191 N. Eden Street in 1847 and 1848. (continued on the next page)
M. Finkei6J Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
25
Sarah Jane K. Newman, "Maryland Hospital", Baltimore, Maryland, 1844 (continued) On December 21, 1854 Sarah married Eugene B. F. Denny, as reported in The Baltimore Sun. They removed to St. Michael's on the eastern shore in Talbot County and were recorded there in the 1860, 1870, 1880 and 1900 census records; Eugene was a house carpenter (the likely connection to Sarah through the occupation of her father) and later a farmer. Sarah died between 1900 and 1910 and her sampler descended in the family; an accompanying note indicates that it was owned by a grandson, William George Denny, Jr., who was the son of Sarah and Eugene's eldest son. In regard to the school that the Maguire and Newman girls attended, Dr. Allen's research supports that of Betty Ring, with a theory that appears on page 230 of A Maryland Sampling, "By 1840 few teachers were still offering needlework instruction. Susanna Travers, located in the southeastern section of Old Town adjacent to Fells Point, conducted a young ladies seminary from about 1812 until at least 1841. Although she never advertised in local papers, it is presumed that she offered needlework instruction. Her long duration as a teacher ... may account for both the silk and wool representations of the twin tower samplers and the Baltimore Hospital samplers." Dr. Allen just recently told us of some newly discovered information regarding Susanna Travers: she was listed in the 1842 directory as a teacher at 60 High St, south of Pratt; and she died July 31, 1845, widow of Henry, again reported in The Baltimore Sun. Further information regarding these samplers can be found on pages 230 to 233 of this excellent book, published by the Maryland Historical Society in 2007. The sampler was worked in merino wool and silk on linen that was woven with blue warp thread every tenth row; this facilitated counting and was popular in the mid 19th century. It is in excellent condition with very minor stabilization and has been conservation mounted into a beveled maple and cherry frame. Sampler size: 25W' square
Frame size: 29%" square
Price: $16,000.
Needleworked Thread Case, American or English, circa 1830
Young needlework students were often assigned practical objects to create, as gifts, or for personal use. We are pleased to offer the seldom found counterpart to the needle case, a thread case; this one is filled with its original long folds of paper dividing by color the great quantities of original silk floss. Green silk fabric wraps around the case, binding the front and the back. Along the front the smart aphorism "In doing nothing we learn to do ill" has been stitched in fine red lettering. A black silk button has been affiXed, as well, and a green loop wraps around from the decorated back panel and holds the contents secure. Worked in silk and linen this thread case remains in very good condition with evident signs of gentle use. It measures 11 W' by 1" by%". Price: $675.
AMERicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel e=s Daughter.
26
Lucy Howe, England, 1811 This sampler offers appealing pictorial images along with wonderful practice darning squares - an unusual combination. Darning recreated specific weave structures and patterns, and was considered an important skill in a period in which household textiles were more valuable than furniture. Lucy Howe stitched this sampler in 1811 when she was just twelve years old. She was quite advanced as we can see from the six dams, including two white-worked examples, as well as the outstanding delicate pattern darned border surrounding her inscription. Central to the composition is a large image of a recumbent stag. This particular image, also known as "Hart resting," was widely used for centuries as a symbolic depiction of Christ, representing gentleness, purity and pride. A hart is a European male red deer with large antlers, much like the American elk. The appealing verse entitled "Honesty" notes that one must be just and true. The sampler is embellished with large trees, birds, potted flowers and overstuffed fruit basket. A stylized vine in green and golden browns surrounds the composition on all four sides. Worked in silk on wool, Lucy's sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a molded and painted black frame. Sampler size: 14W' x 12W'
Frame size: 16W' x 14W'
Price: $2400.
Silk Embroidery of a Bird Feeding Her Young in a Nest, probably Philadelphia, circa 1810 ]'ROll<
This handsome silk embroidered picture of a delightful subject matter J L MES ~. EARLE & SONS, is in its fine original eglomise glass mat and carved, gold leaf frame. EAl'.L.r;l. GALLERIES, This had been for 30 years in the personal collection of the late Susan No. 816 CHES'.PNUT STREET, Burrows Swan, long-term curator of textiles and needlework at Winterthur Museum. Mrs. Swan's notes included the information that an 1806 newspaper lines the frame. The initials of the maker, S.M., were included on the eglomise painted mat; she created a wonderfully detailed portrayal of a song bird with a little sprig in its mouth. Three little chicks sit in a nest formed of french knots and this is nestled into a leafy branch. A double line circular border frames the picture well. A 19th century label on the reverse of this piece is that of James S. Earle & Sons, Earle Galleries, 816 Chestnut St. Philadelphia. This firm operated at that location beginning in 1858, where it exhibited and sold paintings, embroideries and looking glasses. A comprehensive article in The Magazine Antiques (May, 1981), "Check list of looking-glass and frame makers and merchants known by their labels," by Betty Ring, contains much information about the business and gallery run by James S. Earle, and Mrs. Ring refers to this specific framed embroidery, which was owned by her friend Susan B. Swan. The silk embroidery is in excellent condition and in its original frame and eglomise mat of gold leaf and black paint. Size of the embroidery: 7" diameter
Frame size: 11 W' square
Price: $2850.
M. Finkel ~ Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
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Louisa Lawrence, Hollis, New Hampshire, 1819 Louisa Lawrence was 10 years old in 1819 when she worked this praiseworthy sampler. She was the ninth of ten children born to a farmer, Daniel and his wife Polly (Johnson), residents of Hollis, a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. Interestingly, Louisa spelled the name of her town as "Holies," an alternative, if not official, variation which can be found in town publications prior to 1820. An 1894 publication, Hollis, Seventy Years Ago: Personal Recollections, by Henry Gilman Little, includes mention of this family, indicating that Daniel was "one of the staid citizens of Hollis, an extensive farmer, with a large family." Louisa's younger sister Caroline must have also been an accomplished needlewoman, as she is singled out in this book as a "tailoress, greatly beloved by all who knew her."
The sampler, like many of its outstanding counterparts made in southern New Hampshire in the first quarter of the 19th century, features strong clear lettering set in a crisp sawtooth margin and wonderfully framed with wide borders of beautifully depicted flowers on gracefully meandering vines. The verse extols the value of virtue, "the chiefest beauty of the mind I The noblest ornament of human kind." Louisa took an interesting and tiny shortcut at the beginning of her last line, which should read, "For ornamental beauty ... "but it is missing a few letters. In 1831 Louisa married Abijah Fletcher of Westford, Massachusetts, a successful farmer, and they had three children: Luke Lawrence, Elizabeth Caroline and Charles. Census records of 1870 and 1880 show Louisa, a widow, residing in Westford with her older unmarried sister, Abigail Lawrence. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a mahogany frame with a stepped outer bead. Sampler size: 17" x 1TW'
Frame size: 20%" x 21"
Price: $8800.
AMERicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel aJ Daughter.
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Harmony D. Curtis, Worthington, Massachusetts, 1831 A handsome sampler, this was made by nineyear-old Harmony Dillany Curtis who resided in Worthington, Massachusetts. Located 103 miles west of Boston in Hampshire County, the town was described in the 1839 New England Gazetteer as "pleasantly situated on elevated ground ... washed by a branch of the Westfield River" and with a population of 1,142. Elijah Curtis, a farmer, and his wife Polly (Benjamin) Curtis were married there in 1816. The Benjamin family resided in Preston, Connecticut and then removed north to Worthington, Massachusetts. Polly's father, James Benjamin (1757- 1821), served as a private in the revolutionary war. The Curtis family included Harmony, born on March 26, 1822, and her siblings, Alden, Fidelia, Betsy and Mary. In 1856, Harmony married, as his third wife, Milton Nash, a farmer from the nearby town of Hinsdale and she died there in 1861. The palette employed by Harmony is an interesting and unusual one: dark brown with accents of teal and peach, and the little log house and border use these colors well. The four-line verse, extolling the virtues of ''busy hands," furthers the appeal of this sampler. Line end elements include geometric motifs and a single and double heart. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a beveled maple frame. Sampler size: 17" square Frame size: 20%" square Price: $3250.
Clarrissa L. Pratt, Emily Comstock teacher, Southbridge, MA, 1827 Born on May 14, 1816, Clarrissa Lyon Pratt was the daughter of Freeman Pratt (1775-1855) and Polly (Lyon) Pratt (1781-1852), the 9th of their 11 children. In 1827 she worked this handsome sampler, naming her town, Southbridge, Massachusetts, and crediting her teacher, "Miss Emily Comstock, Instructress." Clarrissa's pictorial scene includes a two-story house with vines growing up the sides, two stylized trees and a pair of over-sized vases with her initials enclosed. A classically moralistic verse provides further indication of the skill of the samplermaker. Various published sources document this family in Southbridge, sister town to better-known Sturbridge; both located in Worcester County, 19 miles southwest of Worcester. In 1835 Clarrissa married Henry Smith who was from Bangor, Maine. They had at least one child, a son, Henry S. Smith and Clarrissa died in 1881. It is always interesting when a samplermaker included the name of her teacher on her sampler and we are hoping that further research will reveal specific information about Miss Emily Comstock.
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Worked in silk and linen on linen, it is in excellent condition and had been conservation mounted into an ochre painted frame. Sampler size: 16W' square
Frame size: 18W' square
Price: $2200.
M. Finkel as Daughter. AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER
Embroidered "Pot Holder" made by Ann Elizabeth Bull, Woodbury, Connecticut, circa 1835-40
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Ann Elizabeth Bull worked this delightful piece onto a rich red homespun fabric that was taken from a cape originally belonging to her grandmother, Mrs. Anna Curtis Sherman. The families resided in Woodbury, Connecticut and much information regarding them was published in the History of Ancient Woodbury, Connecticut from the Fist Indian Deed in 1659 to 1854, by William Cothern (Waterbury, Connecticut, 1854). The family note that accompanies it indicates specifically that Mrs. Curtis wore her cape when she rode by horseback to meeting, behind her husband, Aaron Sherman. Sherman Hill, also referred in the notation, was an area just south of Woodbury, named for the family. Anna (Curtis) Sherman was born in 1771 and her daughter Susan Sherman married Thomas Bull, a farmer and the descendant of one of the most prominent families of Woodbury. The embroiderer was their daughter, Ann Elizabeth Bull, born in 1825. The 1850 census records the family in Woodbury, with Ann Elizabeth, age 26. Quite interestingly a first cousin of hers was also in residence: 27 year old Cotton Mather. He was the son of Susan (Sherman) Bull's older sister, Betsey Sherman who had married Marshfield Mather. Cotton's great great grandfather was Timothy Mather, brother of the renowned Cotton Mather (1661-1728), influential New England Puritan minister and author, greatly involved in the Salem Witch Trials. Descendants were named after him for many generations. This embroidered piece is referred to, in the family notation, as a "holder," by which was meant a pot holder. In Plain & Fancy: American Women and Their Needlework 1650-1850 (1977, Winterthur), Susan B. Swan explains that decorated and embroidered pot holders were without interlining and were probably meant for show rather than practical purposes. These types of needleworked presentation pieces were made and kept within families; they can be wonderfully endearing and we were delighted to have acquired this example. It likely portrays the family's pet cat, worked in brown, yellow and off-white silk onto the deep red fabric that held obvious significance. Ann Elizabeth Bull didn't marry and lived with her parents and siblings for many years. She was recorded by the 1900 census, living in Woodbury. The holder descended in the family until just recently. In very good condition with slight loss to the needlework in two comers, it has been conservation mounted along with the family note into a black painted 19th century frame. Size of the pot holder: 6" x 5"
Framed size: 9W' x 13W'
Price: $3600.
AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER
M. Finkel as Daughter.
29
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Delia Hull, Durham, Connecticut, 1812 Delia Hull was ten years old in 1812 when she worked this splendid sampler with a floral swag above and a lawn and garden scene below. The two line verse, "Labor for learnig [sic] before thou art old I for learing [sic] is bettet [sic] than silver or gold" would seem to indicate in a most charming fashion that young Delia in fact had more learning yet to do! Born in 1802 to Joseph and Diana (Chalker) Hull of the town of Durham in southern central Connecticut, Delia was the last of their seven children. On her father's side she descended from George Hull (1590-1659) who came from Somerset, England and settled in Connecticut. Subsequent generations of the family resided in Killingworth, Connecticut. The Hull Family in America (The Hull Family Association) publishes much information about this prominent family and we have extensive photocopies in the file that accompanies the sampler. Joseph Hull was a soldier in the Revolutionary War marching from Boston and later led the first Congressional church in Durham, where their children were born between 1786 and 1802. The family removed to the Berkshires in 1816 and a later generation of the family included Senator John B. Hull of Great Barrington. Delia's maternal ancestry is interesting as well: her mother was a lineal descendant of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins of the Mayflower. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition, in a later black painted frame. Sampler size: 18" x 15"
Frame size: 20" x 17"
Price: $3850.
Mary Stears, "A Model of Ackworth School," Yorkshire, England, 1778 This most interesting sampler is the earliest known needlework depiction of the building which housed the Ackworth School, the renowned Quaker boarding school located in a tiny village in Yorkshire, England. Carol Humphrey, Honourary Keeper of Textiles at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, wrote the wonderfully regarded and scholarly Quaker School Girl Samplers from Ackworth (Needleprint and Ackworth School Estates Limited, 2006) from which all have learned much about the history of the school, its students, their education and their samplers. Mrs. Humphrey writes about the early history of this school as follows: the building, with its large center structure, colonnades and East and West wings, was completed in 1765 as a Foundling Hospital, its purpose and mission to serve the children of the poor and labouring class, modeled after the London Foundling Hospital which had been completed in 1745. This building looked very much as depicted on Mary's sampler, down to details such as the weathervane of a lamb with a sprig of thyme in its mouth, which sat atop the East wing as the crest of the Hospital, designed by William Hogarth. By 1773 this hospital was forced to close due to a withdrawal of government funding. In 1777 the London Yearly Meeting of (continued on the next page)
M. Finkel e:J Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
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Mary Stears, "A Model of Ackworth School," Yorkshire, England, 1778 (continued) the Society of Friends agreed to establish boarding schools to educate Quaker children of families who were not well-off. Three highly influential and philanthropic gentlemen led the way and in April of 1778 their offer of 7000 pounds for this Ackworth facility was accepted by the board of governors of the Foundling Hospital. The Ackworth School opened in 1779. The school grew to become very large, and is easily considered the most important Quaker school in England, emphasizing literacy, equal education for boy and girls and useful works for all. Mary Stears stitched this sampler and dated it 1778 in the lower right comer; she may have been from a local Quaker family involved in the preparations of the school, or was in some other way knowledgeable about the plans to convert the Foundling Hospital, as her title "A Model of Ackworth School" indicates. Clearly Mary took great pains and used minute stitches to create this accurate rendering of the complex and very handsome building that was transitioning precisely at that time. We are indebted to Mrs. Humphrey for her work on this subject. In many respects, this is a classic 18th century English sampler. Rows of little flowers, plants and trees march
across it, with one wide Irish-stitched band providing an excellent and graphic delineation. The verse worked under the alphabet along the top has been documented on another English sampler, worked in 1791, but it is not one commonly found. A narrow border surrounds it on four sides. The sampler was worked in silk on wool and is in very good condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a molded and painted black frame. Sampler size: 15W' x 12W'
Frame size: 17W' x 14W'
Price: $6800.
AME RicA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
M. Finkel e=s Daughter.
32
(detail of sampler by Mary Ann Kendall, page 11)
(detail of sampler by Mary G. Whitney, page 22)
(detail of sampler by Mary Stears, page 31)
M. Finkel as Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER
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(detail of sampler by Lois Killam, page 1)
(detail of sampler by Mary F. Odoirne, page 16)
AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER
M. Finkel as Daughter.
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 Samplennakers, 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. 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.
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.
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. 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, Kathleen, 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.
(detail of sampler by Mary Stears, page 31)
M. Finkel e9 Daughter. AMERICA's LEADING sAMPLER 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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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 silk embroidery, page 8)
AMERICA'S LEADING SAMPLER AND NEEDLEWORK DEALER
(detail of silk embroidery, page 26)
M. Finkel es Daughter.
(detail of sampler by Hannah Arkell, page 10)
est. 1947
M. Finkel e:J 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