Samplings: XLVIII by M. Finkel & Daughter

VOLUME XLVIII

(detail of sampler by Mary Ann Coolidge, page 10)

Copyright ÂŠ 2015 by M. Finkel & Daughter, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without the permission in writing from M. Finkel & Daughter, Inc. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Welcome ... We are delighted to present this issue of Samplings, the 48th edition of our catalogue of schoolgirl samplers and needlework, produced semiannually since 1992. It is our hope that you enjoy reading through this catalogue which presents fine antique samplers and schoolgirl needleworks. We thank you all 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 fine books that have been written in this field. A selected bibliography is included at the end of the catalogue and is updated regularly. 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 68th 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, but may be 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 larger photos than appear in this catalogue. Many of the pieces featured here have not yet appeared on our website so as to give you 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, some of 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 or credit card. Pennsylvania residents should add 6% sales tax. All items are sold with a five day return privilege. We prefer to ship via UPS ground or FedEx air, insured. We look forward to your phone calls and your interest.

www.samplings.com Please check our website for frequent updates and additions to our inventory

Amy Finkel Jamie Banks mailbox@samplings.com 800-598-7432 215-627-7797

Are you interested in selling? We are constantly purchasing antique samplers and needlework and would like to know what you have for sale. We can purchase outright or act as your agent. Photographs emailed or sent to us will receive our prompt attention. Please call us for more information.

ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF CONTENTS Sophia J. Abell, Susan E. Everitt, Instructress, Sharon, Litchfield County, Connecticut, 1844.......... 26 Josephine Benoit, France, 1846.............................................................................................................. 24 Paint Decorated Lady’s Box, American, mid-19th century.................................................................. 27 Kezia Burrough, Westtown School Darning Sampler, Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1809.......... 28 Maria Butler, Leominster, Massachusetts, 1809.................................................................................... 13 Julia Ann Chickering, Miss Damon’s School, Boston, 1827.................................................................. 8 Elizabeth Clemson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1820......................................................................... 32 Jane Collins, Misses Mayo School, Memorial Watercolor on Silk, Portland, Maine, 1826............... 12 Mary Ann Coolidge, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1824......................................................................... 10 Darning Sampler, Netherlands, 1747..................................................................................................... 16 Lovilla Emery, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1833........................................................................... 17 Mary Fowler, Danvers, Massachusetts, 1791......................................................................................... 14 “I Have Lost My Way”, Silk Embroidery, H. Gaskill, Folwell School, Philadelphia, PA, circa 1820........ 25 Lettice Harris, Burlington County, New Jersey, 1824.......................................................................... 16 Deborah Hearsey, Hingham, Massachusetts, 1820............................................................................... 28 Elizabeth Hickes, England, 1697............................................................................................................ 30 Lois Hitchings, Lynn, Massachusetts, 1784............................................................................................. 4 Elizabeth N. Lamson, Salem, Massachusetts, 1829.............................................................................. 30 Mary Lane, England, 1795....................................................................................................................... 22 Frances Amelia Loveland, Troy, New York, 1837.................................................................................. 27 Abigail Marter, Burlington County, New Jersey, circa 1826................................................................ 11 Mary Elizabeth Morse, New York, New York, 1840............................................................................... 18 Jane Moss, London, England, circa 1840............................................................................................... 15 Needlework Scene on Paper, Europe, circa 1820.................................................................................. 24 Pictorial Silk Embroidery, United States, circa 1820........................................................................... 31 Charlotte Reed, Milton, Massachusetts, 1813......................................................................................... 6 Mary Roe, Branchville, Sussex County, New Jersey, 1834................................................................... 19 Peggy Silver, Salem, Massachusetts, 1797............................................................................................... 1 Elizabeth F. Somerby, Newburyport, Massachusetts, circa 1823.......................................................... 3 Alice Spilman, Troy, Perry County, Indiana, 1851................................................................................ 20 Elizabeth Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1807............................................................................. 4 Embroidered Stomacher, England, circa 1740....................................................................................... 2 Embroidered Gentleman’s Suspenders, circa 1840................................................................................ 8 Caroline Woodbury, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, 1817.................................................................................. 6 Woolwork Picture, Bray Church, New Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, circa 1850...................... 20 Ann Magdalen Yates, New York, New York, circa 1800-1805.............................................................. 22

(detail of sampler by Frances Amelia Loveland, page 27)

Peggy Silver, Salem, Massachusetts, 1797 The use of long, lustrous silk stitches was favored by teachers in and around Boston, Massachusetts for many decades, and samplers that feature this work are among the most sought after of all American schoolgirl needlework. One small group, comprised of only four samplers, was made by girls from Salem and Danvers, Massachusetts during the late 18th and very early 19th centuries. They feature outstanding wide borders worked in the classic long, crinkled silk stitches framing large interiors of alphabets, verse and other lettering. It is our pleasure to offer this significant, newly discovered example, worked by Peggy Silver of Salem in 1797, an outstanding sampler boasting excellent composition and execution. The three other known samplers include one made by Betsey Daniels, dated 1800, that is now in the Danvers Historical Society (published in Girlhood Embroidery American Samplers & Pictorial Needlework 1650-1850 by Betty Ring, vol. I, figure 122), one worked by Peggy’s sister, Hannah, in 1801, currently in a private collection, and one made by Elizabeth Briggs in 1806 and in the Peabody Essex Museum (published in Painted with Threads: The Art of American Embroidery by Paula Bradstreet Richter, figure 28). Peggy’s sampler is the only 18th century one in this group. The similarities between these four samplers are interesting to note, as are the minor changes that developed over nine years. Peggy (aka Margaret) Silver was born October 19, 1787, the eldest of five children of William and Jemima (Tewksbury) Silver of Salem. Her sister Hannah, who worked one of the closely related samplers, was born in 1791. In 1810, Peggy married Nathan Poor (1786-1842), of nearby Danvers, and they had seven children, born between 1810 and 1822. Nathan was from a local, early family whose ancestor, Daniel Poor, arrived on the ship, “Bevis” in 1638. Peggy died on November 18, 1824, at age 37. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition with only a few lost stiches. It has been conservation mounted and is in a fine mahogany frame with a stepped outer bead. Sampler size: 21¾” x 20½”

Framed size: 26¼” x 25”

Price: $48,000.

Embroidered Stomacher, England, circa 1740 In the mid-18th century, fashionable American and European ladies wore stomachers – decorative V-shaped fabric panels that formed the center portion of the bodice of a gown, emphasizing the cone shape desired in that period. They could be plain, printed or, occasionally, embroidered and these needleworked examples are quite rare. A fine book, What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America by Linda Baumgarten (Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and Yale University Press, 2002) discusses this form and illustrates several examples, some of printed fabric and some that are embroidered, within figures 19 and 162. This outstanding stomacher features a two-handled basket of flowers, buds and berries embroidered in silk, with metallic threads forming the basket, details to the blossoms and the many graceful scrolls. It retains its original deep pink silk binding; the overall composition and color render this a visual delight. Worked in silk and metallic thread on silk, it is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a 19th century gold leaf frame. Provenance: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Costume Collection. Size of the stomacher: 13¾” x 13¼” Framed size: 21” x 19¾” Price: $7800.

Elizabeth F. Somerby, Newburyport, Massachusetts, circa 1823 While many excellent samplers were made in Newburyport, Massachusetts, very few were worked on green linsey-woolsey. This sampler displays a handsome composition with a highly appealing verse and a beautiful pair of two-handled urns with flower arrangements. The maker’s inscription “Wrougt [sic] by Elizabeth F Somerby aged 8 years” is enclosed in a tightly worked oval framed within leafy branches; the sampler was worked in a fine palette of pastel colors, which shows beautifully on the strong green background.

Elizabeth Folsom Somerby was born on August 29, 1815 to Samuel and Mary (West Swasey) Somerby; her parents initially lived in Exeter, New Hampshire, and Elizabeth was born in Massachusetts. She was named for her maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Folsom (born 1768). After our samplermaker's mother died in 1816, her father married a sister of his late wife, Hannah, and they lived in Newburyport. It was there that Elizabeth, eight years old, worked this splendid sampler. The file of research that accompanies this sampler contains much further information. Elizabeth married, at age 30 in 1843, Albert W. Lindsey (born 1822), a cabinetmaker and physician, and they had two sons. Of specific note is the fact that one of their granddaughters, Bertha Lindsay (1894-1990) was a highly respected and accomplished Shaker eldress of the Canterbury, New Hampshire Shaker Community. When she died at age 94, Bertha was one of the last of the Shakers and the New York Times published her extensive obituary. The sampler is worked in silk on green linsey-woolsey and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a mahogany inlaid frame. Sampler size: 15” x 17¾”

Framed size: 17½” x 20¼”

Price: $14,000.

Lois Hitchings, Lynn, Massachusetts, 1784 Long, narrow samplers were made in Boston and neighboring towns throughout the 18th century, and certain highly popular, characteristic bands were used on these samplers with the same longevity. The most notable of these is a handsome design that has been coined the “Boston Band” – it features elongated hexagonals containing arrow-like motifs and was beautifully stitched by our samplermaker, Lois Hitchings of Lynn, Massachusetts. Her inscription reads, “This needlework of mine will tell when a child is learned well for by my parents I was taught not to spend my time for naught Louis (we are certain that she was Lois) Hitchings / Hur a[ge] 11 1784.” Lois was a very careful stitcher as revealed by a photo taken of the reverse of her sampler, which is finished as neatly as the front. This is another feature of many Boston band samplers, a characteristic that may have been a tradition carried over from England. Born on August 4, 1774, Lois was the daughter of Ezra and Keturah (Newhall) Hitchings. Early Lynn Families: A Genealogical Study by Marcia Wilson Wiswall Lindberg (Higginson Book Co, Salem Massachusetts) indicates that Ezra was born in England about 1740 and that he and Keturah married in Lynn in 1762. Lois was the sixth of their eight children. She married Timothy Newhall, a son of Hanson and Hepzibah (Breed) Newhall in 1794, and died in 1820. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a black and gold painted frame. Sampler size: 22” x 8¼” Framed size: 24” x 10¼” Price: $3200.

Elizabeth Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1807 There are two samplers known to have been made in Philadelphia and they greatly resemble one another - one was made by Catharine Ann Speel in 1805 and it is in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, published in The Fine Art of Textiles: The Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art by Dilys Blum (The Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1997). It depicts a gentleman standing next to a black dog, downhill from a large house with several sheep and a suite of table and chairs on the lawn. The maker’s name and those of her parents along with the year that the sampler was made appear in the center, surrounded by a cartouche-like framework. A four line verse, baskets and pots of flowers and the alphabet fill the upper register and an interesting four-sided border frames the sampler well. This sampler epitomizes the finest of early 19th century Philadelphia sampler design and workmanship. We are delighted to offer a recently discovered sampler, which is greatly similar and was obviously worked at the same school – an outstanding sampler made by Elizabeth Stewart and dated 1807. Both the Speel and Stewart samplers are highly significant and visually commanding. (continued on the next page)

Elizabeth Stewart, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1807 (cont.)

The Stewart sampler differs only slightly in a few of the pictorial details. It retains its original red silk ribbon edging, which lends an excellent visual element to the overall; the Speel sampler may have had a ribbon edging originally but that is no longer with the sampler. Notably, the Wikipedia page for “Samplers” illustrates the Speel sampler as one of only three and the only classic pictorial one. It came to the Philadelphia Art Museum in 1969, as part of the Whitman Sampler Collection. Elizabeth Stewart states on her work that she was “in the 9 year of her age.” She was born circa 1798, the daughter of Charles and Huldah (McCrea) Stewart of Philadelphia. They were Friends and members of the Philadelphia Monthly Meeting. Charles Stewart (c. 1769-1820) was the son of Robert Stewart of Maryland and Margaret (Warner) Stewart of Philadelphia. On her maternal side, the family can be traced back to the 17th century Philadelphia neighborhood of Germantown. Elizabeth married John Besson, a merchant, and they remained in Philadelphia. They had at least three children: Charles, Louise and Anne. The sampler is worked in silk on linen, and, significantly, it retains its original red silk ribbon. It is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a mahogany frame. Sampler size (including ribbon): 18” x 22½”

Framed size: 22¾” x 27¼”

Price: $38,000.

Charlotte Reed, Milton, Massachusetts, 1813 An appealing sampler, this was made by fourteen-year-old Charlotte Reed in Milton, Massachusetts, a town just south of Boston. It features a wonderful, lengthy poem that addresses the maker directly and uses the sampler itself as a metaphor for the actions that should guide one’s behavior in life, “So my sweet girl the path of life survey / And tread with caution o’er the devious way.” Two lines later Charlotte is cautioned by name. A delicate teal green vine with buds and leaves embellishes the lettering, with two of the buds at the lower right corner remaining unfinished. Born on February 26, 1799 to shoemaker, Noah Reed, and his wife Mehitable (Wild) Reed, Charlotte was the fourth of their five children. The History of Milton, Massachusetts 1640 to 1887 by A. K. Teele (1887) includes much information about the Reed family, which had settled in Massachusetts in 1636. Noah Reed moved to Milton in 1795 and bought a homestead about which it was noted, “Its walls were packed with seaweed – a common custom in early times.” In 1829, Charlotte married a farmer, Jason Wadsworth, from another early Milton family. In her later years, Charlotte was a widow, living with her sister Rachel, in Milton. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a cherry and maple frame. Sampler size: 12¾” x 12”

Framed size: 16¼” x 15½”

Price: $3800.

Caroline Woodbury, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, 1817 There are two praiseworthy samplers known to have been made in Cape Elizabeth, Maine; one of these, made by Sophia Dyer and dated July 14, 1817, is in the collection of the Maine Historical Society. It was illustrated in Agreeable Situations: Society, Commerce and Art in Southern Maine, 1780-1830, edited by Laura Fecych Sprague (The Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk, Maine, 1987), and the discussion of the Dyer sampler includes the fact that a similar one was made by Caroline Woodbury. The whereabouts of this second sampler were unknown for some years; it has resurfaced and we are delighted to be able to offer this fine piece. Caroline completed it only 16 days after Sophia completed hers and the two samplers are not only similar, but practically identical. They both feature the same view of two buildings, set on the same lawn with eight paired berries and a white bird, identical alphabets and the same phrasing to their inscriptions. Both samplers are bordered with queen’sstitched flowers, reminiscent of those found on Portland samplers. Sophia and Caroline must have enjoyed the process and results! (continued on the next page)

Caroline Woodbury, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, 1817 (cont.) The Dyer sampler will also be published in "Industry and Virtue Joined": Schoolgirl Needlework of Northern New England, a book to follow the Saco Museum exhibition of the same name. We are grateful to curator Leslie Rounds for her assistance and information about the Woodbury and Dyer samplers. Cape Elizabeth has long been considered one of the loveliest towns of coastal Maine, noted for its large shade trees and handsome public buildings. It is on Casco Bay and was connected to Portland by ferry. Caroline Woodbury was born there on January 26, 1807, the daughter of Capt. Israel Woodbury (1779-1826) and his wife, Martha (Dyer) Woodbury (1785-1864). Caroline’s paternal grandparents were Israel and Ann (White) Woodbury, both from prominent, early Cape Elizabeth families. The Woodbury family began with John Woodbury who emigrated from Somersetshire, England and settled in Cape Ann, Massachusetts to form a fishing establishment there in 1624. By 1727, the Woodbury family had established itself in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The Portland Gazette published the fact that Capt. Israel Woodbury died at sea in January of 1826, when he drowned off of Portland. Caroline would have been 19 years old at the time. She remained single and died at age 32, on December 13, 1839 in Cape Elizabeth. Israel and Caroline are buried, along with other family members, in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, in South Portland. The sampler is worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a fine 18th century frame. Sampler size: 17” x 10¼”

Framed size: 20” x 13¼”

Price: $11,000.

Embroidered Gentleman’s Suspenders, circa 1840 The early nineteenth century saw the first use of suspenders for men and they quickly became popular for both practical and fashionable purposes. This is a stunning pair that must have been embroidered by a lady for a lucky gentleman – the initials H and AW were worked in interlocked wreaths. Many other motifs and small pictorial vignettes appear in an outstanding composition that was designed to be enjoyed vertically on both front and back. The scale of the needlework is extremely tight and beautifully executed throughout. Pairs of doves, cornucopias with fruit, and tiny hearts pierced with arrows are intertwined with flower buds and blossoms and graceful fronds and leafy branches. Anchoring the needlework that was to appear down the back when the suspenders were worn are striped footed bowls of fruit and large exotic birds. Worked in silk on twill woven silk and with their original narrow silk binding at the edges, there are portions attached underneath that would have accommodated fasteners. They are in excellent condition and are now conservation mounted, in a narrow gold leaf frame. Size of each suspender: 22” x 2½”

Framed size: 25½” x 9¼”

Price: $3500.

Julia Ann Chickering, Miss Damon’s School, Boston, Massachusetts, 1827 A beautifully designed and executed sampler, this was made at a little known school in Boston, Massachusetts – that of Miss Damon. Only one other sampler made under her instruction is known; it was in the highly regarded sampler collection of Mrs. Emma B. Hodge (1862-1928) and published in a 1900 book about English samplers, in the section entitled, “Foreign Samplers” (Samplers and Tapestry Embroideries by Marcus Huish). Our newly discovered example, made by Julia Ann Chickering in 1827, is an even greater testimony to Miss Damon’s excellent skill and instruction in the needle arts. Her teaching, combined with the talents of the eleven-year-old maker, Julia Ann Chickering, resulted in this highly appealing sampler. (continued on the next page)

Julia Ann Chickering, Miss Damon’s School, Boston, MA, 1827 (cont.) The center section is comprised of alphabets, verse, and an inscription embellished with trees, budding branches and geometric elements. Great attention was paid to the border which is outstanding, with richly worked compositions of flowers, detailed buds and leaves, carefully arranged branches tied with bowknots and three baskets filled with more flowers. A narrow outer border worked in an oversized version of the queen’s-stitch leads to the drawn-work edging of this praiseworthy sampler.

Julia Ann Chickering would have been a boarding student at Miss Damon’s School, as she lived in Amherst, New Hampshire, where her family resided. Born on August 28, 1815, she was the daughter of Isaac and Ruth (Foster) Chickering. In 1846, Julia Ann married Dr. Moses Atwood, a highly esteemed physician, and, after his death, Rev. B.F. Clark of Chelmsford, Massachusetts. The Chickering family had many ties to Massachusetts and it isn’t surprising that they sent their daughter to Boston for her schooling. Julia Ann died in 1889, in North Chelmsford. The source of much of this information is History of the Town of Amherst, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire (Concord, NH, 1883). The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a figured maple and mahogany beveled frame. Sampler size: 17” square

Framed size: 22” square

Price: $8400.

Mary Ann Coolidge, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1824 Boasting an outstanding composition and excellent needlework, this is a fine and classic New England sampler made in 1824 by Mary Ann Coolidge of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The scene along the bottom is a tightly worked vignette featuring a large, double-chimney, Federal house, willow trees and a small outbuilding underneath an arched, shimmering blue and white sky. Above alphabets lead to a verse that advocates for the power and “beauty of a cultivated mind.” The richly worked, three-sided border, an organic and thorny vine of roses, buds and leaves, frames it all beautifully. It resembles other samplers made in Cambridge in the 1820s, sharing, most notably, the lustrous sky and house and lawn scene. Born on July 5, 1814, Mary Ann was the oldest of six children of Deacon Josiah and Mary (Hastings) Coolidge. Both parents were born in Watertown and shortly after their marriage in 1812, the couple removed to Cambridge. This branch of the Coolidge family has its origins with John Coolidge who emigrated from England to Watertown, Massachusetts prior to 1636, in the early years of the Great Migration. Information regarding the family is published in Descendants of John and Mary Coolidge of Watertown, Massachusetts 1630, by Emma Downing Coolidge. Joseph Coolidge (1730-1775), Mary Ann’s great-grandfather was, “an ardent patriot, serving his country well during the years leading to the Revolution, was the only Watertown man to fall in the defence of Concord and Lexington.” Mary Ann married Daniel Lateman Brown on December 5, 1842, and they had four children: Emma, Mary, Louise and William. They remained in Cambridge where Daniel indicated that he was a real estate broker in the 1850 census. Daniel died in 1872 and Mary Ann in 1888; both are buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark, noted as a model for the American "rural" cemetery movement. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a beveled, figured maple frame. Sampler size: 16¼” x 17¼”

Framed size: 20½” x 21½”

Price: $9000.

Abigail Marter, Burlington County, New Jersey, circa 1826 The pictorial samplers made in Burlington County, New Jersey in the first three decades of the 19th century form one of the most significant of all groups of American samplers. They often feature balanced compositions of well-developed house and lawn scenes with many Quaker motifs embellishing the rest of the sampler. Abigail Marter’s sampler is a fine example of this type. Three stylized pine trees, one mostly hidden from view, and a fine double chimney house sit on the handsome stepped lawn. The inscription and family information is nicely stitched and contained within a wonderfully delicate octagonal framework. The Marter family lived in Willingborough, a small town south of Burlington, the county seat. Abigail states on her sampler that she, “Whas born in the year of her age 1814,” which is unusual spelling and phrasing; indeed she was born in 1814. Her parents were Abraham Marter (17841851) and Sabillah (Pearson) Marter and her siblings were Hannah, Rachel, Thomas, Rebecca, Sabillah, Joseph, Mary Ann and Abraham. Abigail included the initials of all of these family members on her sampler in a quirky fashion: those in the left column read as they should and those in the right column are reversed, it seems to maintain a certain symmetry. The initials of her youngest sister, Mary Ann Marter, appear centered below her inscription, perhaps, again, for the sake of balance. Abigail married Abner Durell on February 20, 1834. He was a ship builder who was noted in the published county history for the shipyard that he established in 1832, in Burlington, on the Delaware River. It is said that he, “enjoyed an extended and enviable reputation” and that his yachts and skiffs won many pennants and cups. They had two sons and a daughter, and Abigail died in 1898. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in its original mahogany frame. Sampler size: 21¾” x 17¼”

Framed size: 26¾” x 22¼”

Price: $11,500.

Jane Collins, Misses Mayo School, Memorial Watercolor on Silk, Portland, Maine, 1826 An interesting and comprehensive article, written by Betty Ring and published in The Magazine Antiques in their September, 1988 issue, was entitled Samplers and silk embroideries of Portland, Maine. Wonderfully typical of the writings of Mrs. Ring, it was thoroughly researched and lavishly illustrated. One of the schools discussed was that kept by Misses Mayo; first established by Mrs. Martha Merchant Mayo (c. 1756-1831), it was in operation by some of her four daughters from at least 1823 until 1841 and located, aptly enough, on Mayo Street in Portland. Students who attended the school made many of the finest samplers, silk embroidered memorials and watercolor memorials that were produced in the state of Maine. Jane Collins was a student at the Misses Mayo School and, in 1826, painted this splendid memorial to her paternal grandparents. A white marble tomb under a willow tree dominates the composition with a detailed little scene of a church and house set on the water with a bridge and row boats in the background. Interestingly the paint brushstrokes closely emulate embroidery stitches and the overall effect is stunning. The eglomisé is original and signed, “By Jane Collins 1826” with a double underline, in the same manner as other Mayo school pieces, an indication that the sisters used the same gilder and framer for many of the works produced by their students. One of the characteristics of Mayo School memorials is that the information on the tombs was printed onto paper or silk, always in a similar typography. This epitaph reads, "Mr Cyrenius Collins, Died in Roxbury, (Mass.) January 2, 1798, Aged 44 Years. Mrs Hannah Collins, Died in Cumberland, (ME.) November 21, 1820, Aged 69 Years." Jane was the daughter of their son, Joseph Warren Collins (17791863) and Hannah (Sturdivant) Collins (1781-1865); she was born on December 14, 1806. American Ancestry: Giving the Name and Descent in the Male Line of Americans Whose Ancestors Settled in the United States Previous to the Declaration of Independence AD 1776, Vol. X (Albany, NY, 1895) indicates that her father was a contractor and builder in Portland and her mother was a descendant of Joseph Sturdivant, an early settler of Plymouth, Massachusetts along with Myles Standish and John Alden. The Collins and Sturdivant families were leaders of the community in the Portland, Yarmouth, Falmouth and Cumberland area. In 1813, when a subscription library was being formed, Joseph Warren Collins and two of his brothers-in-law were among the signers of the library’s constitution and charged with the purchase of books. Jane was 20 years old in 1826 when she painted this and it was not uncommon for memorials to honor family members whose deaths had occurred in the past. Shortly after she made this, she married Marcian Seavey and they remained in Cumberland, Maine. They had at least seven children who were born between 1828 and 1842 and Jane died on March 13, 1843. This was painted in watercolor on silk and remains in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and retains its original black and gold eglomisé glass and is in its original gold leaf frame. Sight size: 17¼” x 17½”

Framed size: 22¼” x 22”

Price: $8000.

Maria Butler, Leominster, Massachusetts, 1809 An instructress of considerable skill was teaching girls in Leominster, a town north of Worcester, Massachusetts, for at least ten years beginning in 1806. There are four fully developed samplers known that belong to this group and they all share the same unusual and praiseworthy composition and excellent needlework. They feature an octagonal center outlined in satin stitched diamonds, surrounded with extraordinarily lovely vines of leaves and flowers. Each of the makers inscribed their work in a solidly stitched panel that forms the bottom of the octogon. Their pictorial elements vary slightly, but they all stitched the same verse. Martha Lincoln’s 1806 sampler was in the Theodore Kapnek Collection and is illustrated as figure 52 in A Gallery of American Samplers: The Theodore H. Kapnek Collection by Glee Krueger (E.P. Dutton, New York, 1978). Another, made by Laura Murdock in 1816, was published by Mary Jaene Edmonds, in Samplers and Samplermakers: An American Schoolgirl Art 1700-1850 (Rizzoli, New York, 1991). We now offer that made by Maria Butler in 1809, which was published in American Antiques from Israel Sack Collection, Vol. V (Highland Hose Publishers, 1974). It was the only sampler in this book and the Israel Sack provenance adds to its significance. The eldest child of Abijah and Beulah (Fairbanks) Butler, Maria was born on September 14, 1796. Abijah Butler (1750-1822) was a church deacon in Leominster and a sergeant in Capt. David Wilder’s Company of Minute Men in the Revolutionary War. Maria married James Wood of Hancock, New Hampshire in 1820. They lived in Bridgeport, Connecticut and had five children. Maria died in 1854. Much family information is published in town histories and family genealogies. Maria included a little house in the background of her pictorial scene, a charming addition not found on the other Leominster samplers. Notably, this sampler remains in its fine original gold leaf frame. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted. Sampler size: 15½” x 14½”

Framed size: 18¼” x 17¼”

Price: $9000.

Mary Fowler, Danvers, Massachusetts, 1791 A handsome green linseywoolsey sampler, this was made by ten-year-old Mary Fowler of Danvers, Massachusetts and is dated July 20th, 1791. The purpose of this sampler must have been for young Mary to practice stitching her letters and numbers, which she did admirably many alphabets in various fonts are arranged in a pleasing composition. While few linsey-woolsey samplers were made, they generally come from the coastal towns of Massachusetts and New Hampshire; indeed Mary lived in Danvers, a small town north of Boston and near Salem. The Fowler Family: A Genealogical Memoir of the Descendants of Philip and Mary Fowler of Ipswich, Massachusetts Ten Generations 1590 – 1882 by Matthew Adams Stickney (Salem, 1883) provides the full history of this family, which began with Philip Fowler who was born circa 1590 in England. He embarked from London and sailed to New England, landing in May, 1634 and receiving a land grant in Ipswich the same year. Six generations later, our samplermaker, Mary was born on July 6, 1780, the third of six children of Nathaniel Fowler (b. 1753) and Anne (Stevens) Fowler. Nathaniel was a cabinetmaker and joiner, who died in 1792, at age 38, of lockjaw, after he suffered a broken leg. In 1807 Mary married, as his third wife, Capt. John Daland (1768-1842) and they had one child, a daughter, Mary Ann Daland, who was born in 1809. Mary, our samplermaker, died in 1836. This sampler is in very good condition with some very slight loss. It has been conservation mounted and is in a beveled maple frame. Sampler size: 17¼” x 14¼” Framed size: 20¾” x 17¾” Price: $5200.

Jane Moss, London, England, circa 1840 The early 19th century English penchant for using Orientalist scenes to decorate textiles, both needleworked and printed, is wonderfully evident on this large and very beautifully stitched sampler. The maker, Miss Jane Moss, filled the center of her outstanding composition with a vignette that includes eight gentlemen in fine Eastern costume posed under and around a pagoda-like gazebo that has a coral top and spiral-turned supports. The lawn is richly colored in many shades of green and a pride of lions, large and small, lounge in the foreground. Exotic birds are interspersed with the lions and many smaller birds and butterflies fill the sky. In the overall, the pictorial nature of the sampler is highly successful and appealing. Delightful cornucopias and baskets of fruit and flowers flank the verse and the wide, richly-worked border with its large flower blossoms, buds and veined leaves entwined couldn’t possibly be improved upon. The verse that Jane stitched resembles other moralistic poems that samplermakers frequently used. It reads: If difficulties spread thy purposed way, / Despair not greater have been made to yield, / If fortune seem to gild thy future day, / Presume not dangers yet may lie conceald. / Let courage animate and prudence guide, / Hope for the best yet for the worst provide. Another sampler that closely resembles this in overall design (lacking however, the wonderful Orientalist theme) was made by Phoebe Elizabeth Slade, a young lady who was born in 1824 and lived in the Holborn section of London. While Jane Moss cannot be identified, we feel certain that she also called London home. The sampler was worked in silk on wool and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a fine, period figured maple frame with a gilt liner. Sampler size: 20½” x 19½”

Framed size: 25½” x 24½”

Framed size: $8400.

Darning Sampler, Netherlands, 1747 Darning samplers hold special appeal to collectors and needleworkers today due to their strong graphic quality and the practical, yet impressive, skill they display. Household textiles and clothing were very expensive and treasured by all strata of society. An understanding of weave structure and the ability to use this knowledge to prolong the life of valued fabrics was therefore considered an important skill. Most known darning samplers are Dutch and date from the mid-18th to the early 19th centuries; they are generally signed only with the initials of the maker. This darning sampler is dated 1747 and it is one of the earlier that we have known. Twelve darned squares were completed in different weave patterns and the center section was cut and mended, a demonstration of yet another skill. The overall construction of the linen ground fabric is interesting as well, as the fabric began in three parts and very fine stitches join them together. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a black painted frame. Sampler size: 13” x 15”

Framed size: 15¼” x 17¼”

Price: $3200.

Lettice Harris, Burlington County, New Jersey, 1824 A finely worked and appealing little sampler, this is inscribed, “Lettice Harris Was Born In April The 6 1816 Wrought in Th 8 Year of hur Age,” and is dated 1824. Alphabets, bands and little elements are also included, all worked in delicate stitches in wonderfully variedcolored silk. Much of the needlework was done in the eyelet stitch, quite an accomplishment for an eightyear-old! It is, overall, a very good sampler. Extensive research has led to the conclusion that Lettice Harris lived in Burlington County, New Jersey in the Jacobstown area. Her parents were Joseph Harris (1773-1860) and Mary (Lamb) Harris (1774-1869) and she was named for her maternal grandmother, Lettice Foster. Family members were affiliated with Quaker Meetings early on, but were no longer Friends by the early 19th century. Lettice appears in census records and remained single, living with her parents and adult siblings for many years. She died on January 22, 1877 in Cookstown, Burlington County. Her will is recorded in the New Jersey Index of Wills. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a painted frame. Sampler size: 7¾” x 6”

Framed size: 9¼” x 7¾”

Price: $2800.

Lovilla Emery, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1833 Twelve-year-old Lovilla Emery, living in Hillsborough, a town in southern New Hampshire, created this excellent, large sampler. The center features alphabets and a fine verse, one that is published in American Samplers by Bolton and Coe (Massachusetts Society of the Colonial Dames of America, 1921) in the section that documents poems used by samplermakers. That verse is surrounded with a splendid enclosure of leaves on a vine formed of linked ovals, an unusual and graphic treatment. Lovilla framed her needlework with an outstanding border – a series of highly developed flowers on stems and berries on sprigs in a balanced composition. But most notable is the wonderful pair of lustrous, feathery eagles that are perched on branches of an oak tree, complete with acorns, at the very top. This patriotic pictorial vignette crowns the sampler well.

The History of Hillsborough New Hampshire 1735-1921 (Manchester, NH, 1922) includes much information about Lovilla’s family. This branch of the Emery family began with John Emery (15981683) who was born in England and sailed from Southampton, landing in Boston on June 3, 1635. Seven generations later, Lovilla was born on December 16, 1820 to Levi and Sarah (Hildreth) Emery, who were married in 1815. Her husband, Jason Hartwell Theodore Newell, also of Hillsborough, was a merchant and they had five children born between 1841 and 1857. Lovilla died on April 9, 1876. The sampler descended to a daughter, Eva, and then to further generations until at least 1948, and is accompanied by the complete, handwritten family history of this ownership. Worked in silk on linen gauze, the sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a maple frame. Sampler size: 18¾” x 17”

Framed size: 23¼” x 21¼”

Price: $6800.

Mary Elizabeth Morse, New York, New York, 1840 While the great majority of samplers were schoolroom exercises that focused solely on demonstrating needlework skills, we occasionally come across one that crosses over to other disciplines. In this case, the maker, eight-year-old Mary Elizabeth Morse, stitched a historical geography lesson regarding what must have been her home town, New York City, onto her sampler. It reads: “Mary Elizabeth Morse aged eight AM 5844 AD 1840. Since the discovery of America 348 years. The first settlement of New York was made by Dutch emigrants in 1614. The colony was ceded to the British in 1674 and remained subject to them till the revolution. The city of New York is situated on an Island at the head of a bay of the same name about 20 miles from the Atlantic and at the confluence of the East and Hudson rivers. The island is about 16 miles long from north to south and has an average breadth of one mile and a half. The city extends over the whole island occupying the same extent with the county........................” This information quotes directly and extensively from two sources, both published in 1836, specifically for use in schools. Of additional note is the number 5844, which refers to the year 1840 - another specific published lesson, arithmetic, was being taught to Mary Elizabeth Morse as well. The world was thought to have been created 4004 years before Christ, so the year 1840 would translate to 5844. Mary Elizabeth also refers to the year, 1492 (348 years prior), as the year that America was discovered. Clearly her instructress was busy teaching many lessons at once. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a black painted frame.

Sampler size: 17” x 17½”

Framed size: 19¼” x 19¾”

Price: $2900.

Mary Roe, Branchville, Sussex County, New Jersey, 1834 Mary Roe’s sampler is outstanding from a technical standpoint, and is a visual delight. The entire center section – the basket of flowers and the scalloped green base that it sits on – was beautifully worked in the queen’s-stitch. This stitch was used far more in the 18th century than the 19th and requires great skill, time and an abundance of silk floss to accomplish. Other small diamond elements and strawberries were also worked in the queen’s-stitch. The overall composition and execution are further indications of Mary’s talent as the fine borders, the extract verse and various floating embellishments share space on the sampler in a very appealing way. The inscription indicates that the sampler was made by Mary Roe of Branchville in 1834. Branchville is a town in Sussex County, northernmost New Jersey and there must have been a teacher of extraordinary talent working there. Mary was born on September 24, 1821, the first of eleven children of Dr. Jonas and Matilda (Hopkins) Roe. The Roe family in America began with David Roe who was born in 1642 in England and emigrated to America circa 1664; the family is well documented in various publications. David Roe was an early settler and prominent citizen of Flushing, Long Island, New York and the great-great-grandfather of our samplermaker, Mary. Mary married George Fencil (1807-1881), son of a merchant, flour miller and the postmaster of York Haven, Pennsylvania. They became the parents of ten children. Mary died on December 8, 1894 and is buried in the Baldwin Cemetery in Dauphin County. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a beveled cherry frame. Sampler size: 17¾” x 17¼”

Framed size: 21” x 21½”

Price: $14,000.

Woolwork Picture, Bray Church, Near Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, circa 1850 A large and very handsome needlework picture, this is entitled “Bray Church Nr. Maidenhead Berks” and the subject is the wonderful, famed medieval church built in 1293. Located six miles from Windsor Castle, its patroness was Queen Margaret, wife of Edward I. The massive stone bell tower, which dominates the architecture, was added circa 1400 and the church remains virtually unchanged today. This was worked in a tradition closely related to 19th century sailors’ woolies but instead of the commonly used long, loose wool stitches, this is formed with tight, small stitches, creating an excellent texture throughout. Details include the church’s graveyard in the foreground and a sun and large bird in the milky blue morning sky. It retains much of its original color as evidenced from a photo taken of the reverse. Worked in wool and silk, this is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a 19th century frame. Size of the needlework: 17¼” x 24½”

Framed size: 22” x 29¼”

Price: $4800.

Alice Spilman, Troy, Perry County, Indiana, 1851 Very few samplers were made west of Ohio and we are pleased to be able to offer this excellent example, made in 1851 in Troy, a small town in southern Indiana, located on the Ohio River at the border with Kentucky. Alice Spilman was born in Troy in 1839 and her parents, Harvey Spilman (1807-1887) and Mary Mason Spilman (1813-1903) were married there in 1830. The history of both sides of the family is a variation of that of a great many 19th century American families – with roots in Virginia and Kentucky on the Spilman side and Connecticut and New York on the Mason side, they followed the Westward Expansion movement, one of the defining themes of the history of the United States. Alice was born on November 28, 1839, the fifth of ten Spilman children. Harvey Spilman was born in Kentucky and as a young adult removed to Indiana where, in 1850, he was listed as a merchant. On October 15, 1857, Alice married Rev. John Laverty (b. 1822 in Indiana), as his second wife. He was a young widower and a teacher. In 1856, he had taken a teaching position at the newly established select school of the Lutheran Church in Troy, run by Jerome Spliman, Alice’s older brother, and, according to History of Warrick, Spencer and Perry Counties, Indiana (Chicago, 1885), John Laverty “taught several terms of excellent history in the stone house.” (continued on the next page)

Alice Spilman, Troy, Perry County, Indiana, 1851 (cont.) Rev. Laverty had previously served a term in the Indiana Legislature. For many years the couple lived in Worthington, Green County, Indiana and Rev. Laverty held various positions within circuits of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They had four children born between 1850 and 1876. When Rev. Laverty retired, circa 1885, he and Alice removed to Long Pine, Nebraska. After his death in 1890, Alice joined her parents who had resumed their move westward and were living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She died there in 1918.

Alice’s sampler is a wonderful combination of elements – alphabets, various classic, sampler motifs (many stem directly from early Quaker design) and a large, carefully stitched depiction of a brick church with two bell towers. One of the towers is topped by an arrow weathervane and the other by a cross. An oversized gravestone beneath a willow tree may reference the couplet that Alice used: “I leave this for my friends to have / When I am dead and in my grave.” The three-sided strawberry border presents an interesting combination of graceful curves on the sides and straight-edged style at the top. In the overall, the sampler is very pleasing aesthetically. Worked in wool and silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a 19th century period frame. Sampler size: 16¾” x 17¼”

Framed size: 21” x 21½”

Price: $17,500.

Mary Lane, England, 1795 A classic and beautifully made English sampler, this is signed, “Mary Lane’s Work in ye 11th Year of her age 1795.” It presents an overall handsome composition rendered in precise stitching with a lovely border of delicate flowers and buds on a zigzag, chain-stitched framework, which surrounds the sampler well. The verse is a rendition of two stanzas of a poem written by British essayist, playwright, politician and poet Joseph Addison (1672-1719), and published in 1712. The stitches are unusually fine and tight, most impressive in that Mary Lane was 10 years old when she made this sampler (one is 10 years old when in one’s 11th year). Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into its fine original inlaid frame. Sampler size: 15½” x 10¾” Framed size: 17¼” x 12½” Price: $4800.

Ann Magdalen Yates, New York, New York, circa 1800-1805 The “Biblical Samplers of New York” are a fascinating group of samplers made from the middle of the 18th century until the 1830s. The samplermakers drew from an assortment of pictorial patterns depicting specific illustrations of Biblical stories. Included could be Adam and Eve, the Parable of the Sower, St. John the Evangelist, Moses Receiving the Ten Commandments, Abraham’s Sacrifice of Isaac and Jacob’s Dream at Bethel along with other religious and secular subjects. In an article entitled Biblical Samplers From New York City, published in The Magazine Antiques, February 2005, Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Amelia Peck presented new research and conclusions regarding this group and illustrated Ann Magdalen Yates’ sampler as plate IX, page 86. Along with a prominent depiction of St. John the Evangelist (lower left corner), Ann Magdalen Yates included the Cherry Picker, a secular subject derived from an 18th century French print, another element found on many of the New York Biblical samplers. Additionally, this sampler is noted for the two rows of pictorial motifs: houses, courting couples and a particularly handsome row of rhythmic trees. The Yates sampler is partially unfinished as evidenced by the incomplete inscription line. It was likely left unframed for many years, thus accounting, in part, for its wonderful condition and original color. (continued on the next page)

Ann Magdalen Yates, New York, New York, circa 1800-1805 (cont.) Born in New York on April 6, 1790 to Joseph Yates (c.1750-1828) and Magdalen (Minig) Yates, Ann Magdalen Yates was baptized on May 23, 1790 at Trinity Church. Her parents had been married in 1785 at the German Reformed Church of New York. Both of these churches figured prominently in the lives of many of the others makers of New York Biblical samplers.

Amelia Peck, in the conclusion of her article, wrote,”… the New York biblical sampler style was longlived, and probably taught by several teachers. The girls who made these samplers were, for the most part, quite well-to-do, the daughters of the merchant elite that has traditionally been the power base of New York City. The families who encouraged this style of sampler were often members of the Reformed Protestant churches of New York City, but it is likely that the stories shown on them devolved from highly charged religious images in the early eighteenth century to pure fashion by the time they got mixed together with pastoral and romantic imagery in the later part of the century. Viewed as a group, they are unique visual artifacts of the beginning of the multicultural New York City we know today.” Ann Magdelen Yates’s work is a praiseworthy sampler from within this notable and historic group. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a cherry frame with a stepped maple bead. Sampler size: 16” x 18½”

Framed size: 20¼” x 22¾”

Price: $8200.

Needlework Scene on Paper, Europe, circa 1820 Needlework projects made on paper have always attracted us, as they allow for no missteps; the hole made by the needle must be incorporated into the work. This is a very fine, small needlework picture of excellent quality and strong visual appeal. The little building with a banner flying from its turreted tower and flock of birds above and the large urn of flowers are set on a well-shaded ground and it is all surrounded by a particularly fine border. Worked in lustrous silks on glazed paper, it is in excellent condition and in a fine period gold leaf frame. Sight size: 8½” x 12½”

Frame size: 11½” x 15½”

Price: $1700.

Josephine Benoit, France, 1846 A charming little sampler that incorporates beadwork and was signed "josephine benoit agée de 9 ans", and dated 1846 at the bottom. The theme is a religious one, with “Louez Dieu” [Praise God] as its message and young Josephine was likely attending a convent school. Beadwork was a long-standing tradition in France and in this case gold, silver and blue glass beads were used to highlight some of the motifs and lettering. The overall effect is lovely. The sampler was worked in silk, linen and beads on linen and is in excellent condition with slight darkening near the edges. It has been conservation mounted and is in a 19th century gold leaf frame. Sampler size: 10¼” x 12”

Framed size: 12½” x 14¼”

Price: $1400.

“I Have Lost My Way”, Silk Embroidery, H. Gaskill, Folwell School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania circa 1820 Many fine silk embroideries were made by young ladies attending the Folwell School in Philadelphia, which was established in the last few years of the 18th century and run by Samuel and Elizabeth Folwell. The subject matters on these works include memorials, religious and allegorical stories, family scenes and illustrations from popular novels. They share identifiable characteristics and the faces were painted by either Samuel Folwell, or, after Samuel’s death in 1813, their son Godfrey. A very handsome embroidery, this likely depicts a scene from a fictional story of the period and is entitled “I Have Lost My Way.” It was worked by H. Gaskill, whose name, along with the title, was painted in gold leaf on the reverse paint mat. The provenance of this silk embroidery is highly important as it was in the large collection of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, perhaps the most significant collectors of American folk art of the early to mid 20th century. Bernice Chrysler Garbisch was the daughter of Chrysler founder, Walter P. Chrylser and material from this collection formed the foundations of many important museums throughout the United States. Additionally, hundreds of pieces from their collections were sold at a ground-breaking, three-part auction in 1974 at Sotheby Parke Bernet: Important Frakturs, Embroidered Pictures, Theorem Paintings, Cutwork Pictures and Other American Folk Art From the Collection of Edgar and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. This silk embroidery was included in that auction. The Gaskill family emigrated from England in the 17th century and settled in New England initially. They removed to New Jersey and Pennsylvania in search of greater tolerance for their Quaker beliefs. By 1782, the Gaskill family belonged to a Friends Meeting in Philadelphia. The maker of this silk embroidery was likely Hannah Gaskill, born 1788 to William and Sarah (Cooper) Gaskill. It was worked in silk and watercolor on silk and is in excellent condition. Importantly, it retains its original eglomisé mat and outstanding original gold leaf frame. Size of the oval: 16½” x 19¾”

Framed size: 24½” x 27¾”

Price: $9500.

Sophia J. Abell, Susan E. Everitt, Instructress, Sharon, Litchfield County, Connecticut, 1844 This sampler has a very appealing nature – a highly folky scene including a house, trees, birds and a particularly nice flower pot dominates the lower portion. Large alphabets and a tightly worked cautionary religious verse share space with the maker’s inscription, but, almost amusingly, it is the name of the teacher that predominates. Both student and teacher lived in Sharon, Litchfield, County, Connecticut, in the northwest corner of the state. The daughter of a farmer, Philander Abell, and his wife, Betsey Crocker, Sophia was born on July 25, 1832. As she states on her sampler, she was 12 years old when she made it. There are many published sources that inform us as to the Abell family, which had been in Connecticut since 1630. Sophia remained single and lived in Sharon with family members. She died in 1918, at age 86. Her teacher, Susan E. Everitt, was also from a prominent, early Connecticut family. She was born on April 7, 1824 and would have been 20 years old when she taught Sophia. Her parents were Capt. Gamaliel Everitt and his wife, Nancy Minerva Woodward. In June of 1850, Susan married her second cousin, John Chafee Lovell and they left immediately for the west. Sadly, Susan died only three months later, in Michigan. The samplers worked by her students and boldly stating her name must have been a comforting legacy to her family and friends in Sharon. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a molded and painted black frame.

Sampler size: 17¾” x 16½”

Framed size: 20” x 18¾”

Price: $3800.

Frances Amelia Loveland, Troy, New York, 1837 This handsome sampler is a fine example of the plain, Quaker aesthetic and it was made at a Friends school in Troy, New York. Deep blue and green silks form the alphabets, classic poem and narrow horizontal bands, all worked with the strength and simplicity that characterize Quaker schoolgirl samplers. Much family information is found in Genealogy of the Loveland Family in the United States of America from 1635 to 1895, by J. B. Loveland and George Loveland (1895). The family began with John Loveland (b. 1599) and seven generations later, Frances Amelia Loveland was born on May 20, 1829, to Abner and Ann Eliza (Swartout) Loveland. Between 1840 and 1846, Frances attended Emma Willard’s Troy Female Seminary (as had her mother and her older sister), where she was noted as a scholar and artist. Sadly, she died at age 17, on November 5, 1846. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a black painted, molded frame. Sampler size: 16½” x 17½”

Framed size: 19” x 20”

Price: $3800.

Paint Decorated Lady’s Box, United States, mid-19th century In the tradition of paint decorated schoolgirl academy boxes, sewing stands and other small objects, this is finely painted sewing or work box, its interior lined with silk and the inside of the top ready to function as a pincushion. The slightly arched top presents a flower arrangement in a footed urn set into a circular format with a painted border of delicate zigzags. Small flowers decorate the four sides, as well. It is in excellent condition and the shellac finish has developed a wonderful craquelure over time. It still has its original key. Dimensions: 8½” x 6¼” x 3” Price: $700.

Deborah Hearsey, Hingham, Massachusetts, 1820 Worked by 13-year-old Deborah Hearsey in 1820, this praiseworthy sampler features an exemplary verse entitled, “The Source of Happiness,” written by Alexander Pope as part of his Essay on Man, originally published between 1732 and 1734. As stitched on the sampler, the focus is on “peace, health and competence.” Born on December 11, 1806, Deborah was the daughter of Jeremiah Hearsey (1775-1846) and Deborah (Fearing) Hearsey of the town of Hingham, in Plymouth County, south of Boston. In 1830, she married Amos Bates (1803-1896). He was commissioned captain in an Infantry Company, served in the Massachusetts Senate and, for many years, was President of Hingham Mutual Fire Insurance Company. They had four children born between 1834 and 1843. Deborah died in 1892 and is buried in the Hingham Cemetery. Deborah embellished her sampler with delicate flower sprigs and branches at the top and wonderful flowers and grape bunches, leaves and tendrils at the bottom. The fine needlework is heightened by the use of crinkled silk and the overall effect is very appealing. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a period black painted frame. Sampler size: 16½” x 11½”

Framed size: 19½” x 14½”

Price: $4800.

Kezia Burrough, Westtown School Darning Sampler, Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1809 Highly distinctive and appealing Quaker samplers were made at the Westtown School in Chester County, Pennsylvania, which was founded as a Friends boarding school in 1799 and is still thriving today. For many years, female students followed practically the same curriculum as male students with the addition of needlework lessons, which were taught for two weeks of a six week period. The samplers made there included marking, extract verse, intricate geometric medallion and delicate darning examples. Threads of Useful Learning, the definitive book about Westtown School samplers, written by Mary Uhl Brooks, the long-term Westtown School archivist, will be published in December of this year; we were fortunate enough to have read an advance copy of this book and cannot praise it highly enough. (continued on the next page)

Kezia Burrough, Westtown School Darning Sampler, Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1809 (cont.) This wonderfully refined white-onwhite Westtown darning sampler was made by Kezia Burrough in 1809. She stitched her name in the finest of stiches, and “Weston” for the school, usage that was interchangeable with “Westtown” until late in the 1860s, when the latter spelling was made official. Kezia was born on July 20, 1794, the eldest of six children of Joseph and Martha (Davis) Burrough, members of the Haddonfield Monthly Meeting in New Jersey. Westtown School’s archives indicate that Kezia entered the school at age 14 in 1808 and remained there until 1810. In 1817, Kezia married Benjamin M. Haines and they had three children. This sampler descended to their daughter, Martha B. Haines, whose name appears on the original backboard along with the date 1864. The family remained in southern New Jersey, members of the Evesham Monthly Meeting. Kezia died in 1857 and her husband died one year later. We have previously owned another Westtown School sampler made by this same maker, an excellent motif and medallion sampler, dated 1810. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in its fine original mahogany frame. Sampler size: 8¼” square

Framed size: 10½” square

Price: $8400.

Elizabeth N. Lamson, Salem, Massachusetts, 1829 Born on June 30, 1810 to Samuel and Sarah (Sleuman) Lamson of Salem, Massachusetts, Elizabeth Norton Lamson was the seventh of their eight children. According to Descendants of William Lamson of Ipswich, Massachusetts 16341917, Samuel was a “master mariner [who] sailed on many foreign voyages.” He was mentioned as the commander of many schooners out of Salem. In the War of 1812 he commanded a privately armed vessel, which was captured in 1814. In 1829, when she was ten years old, Elizabeth worked this large, extraordinary sampler with its unusual, deeply arcaded borders. Interesting to note are the large bow-knots and leafy vines that form each corner of the border, creating one continuous framework. The verse used is the single most popular one found on American samplers, which must have been composed expressly for samplermakers to stitch onto their needlework. Elizabeth used an enclosure of linked diamonds for her inscription and a classic sawtooth inner border to contain that and the verse; another sawtooth border was worked at the very outer edge. Overall this is a very handsome sampler. In 1842, Elizabeth married a farmer, John Sawyer (born 1804), of nearby Boxford and they lived in Boxford where they had five children who were born between 1843 and 1855. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition; it has been conservation mounted into a gold leaf frame. Sampler size: 20” x 17”

Framed size: 23” x 20”

Price: $7400.

Elizabeth Hickes, England, 1697 A wonderful rarity, this 17th century English band sampler would actually be considered a miniature – measuring under 5” in width. The needlework begins from the top with four exquisite rows bands of white-work and included four full or partial bands of polychrome pattern along with the verse, two religious quotations (the latter from the bible), transcribed as follow: (continued on the next page)

Elizabeth Hickes, England, 1697 (cont.) “Love the Lord and he will be a tender Father unto the And Jabez called upon the God of Israel saing Oh that thou wouldest bless me Indeed and in large my cost [enlarge my coast]”

The maker, Elizabeth Hickes, signed her sampler at the bottom along with the date, 1697, split and flanking her surname. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a bird’seye maple frame with a gilt liner. Sampler size: 18” x 4¾”

Framed size: 20¼” x 6½”

Price: $4800.

Pictorial Silk Embroidery, United States, circa 1820 A delightful little silk embroidered picture, this is a depiction of a young couple, perhaps courting, under a tree with a large house in the background. Silk thread was used to depict the young man and young lady, the large leaves, the willow branches, the delicate fence, the brick chimney and the single flowering plant. Beautifully worked chenille threads form the lush lawn, tree trunks and house – overall this is an absolutely splendid example. The origin is likely New England, specifically Massachusetts. The gentleman’s short jacket, striped trousers and hat were fashionable attire in the early 19th century; additionally note his buckle shoes. The tree in the foreground arches over the couple nicely and its large serrated leaves provide a nice visual component. The two leaves at far left were drawn onto the silk but not stitched, allowing us to know something of the process in this case. Worked in silk and chenille on silk with graphite pencil drawing, it remains in very good condition with some very minor loss. It is in a period gold leaf frame. Sampler size: 5” x 8”

Framed size: 7½” x 10½”

Price: $3800.

Elizabeth Clemson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1820 This particularly pretty sampler is signed “Elizabeth Clemson. Philadelphia. 1820.” Alphabets and a religious verse indicate that Elizabeth had mastered the stitching of her letters and the pictorial motifs and outstanding horizontal band near the bottom of the sampler is evidence of the great skill that she had learned. A fine satinstitched lawn, worked in three shades of lustrous green silk floss, grounds the composition well. The sampler is surrounded with an inner border worked in the eyelet stitch, and a fine outer border, with variedcolored flowers and featuring corner elements, was also worked in the eyelet stitch. The initials CM appear lower left and are likely those of the teacher who so ably instructed Elizabeth. She was born to Thomas and Elizabeth (Baker) Clemson on June 29, 1809. Both the Clemson and Baker families had long histories in Pennsylvania. Their immigrant ancestors were James Clemson who migrated from England in the 1680s and settled first in Chester County and then in nearby Delaware County, and Frederick Baker who was born in Germany in 1732 and migrated to Maryland and then to Pennsylvania. Thomas Clemson (1772-1813) was born in Lancaster County and removed to Philadelphia to join his brother, James, in the flour business. He married Elizabeth Baker (1773-1857) in 1800 and they lived at Ninth and Filbert Streets, next to his business, which was on Market Street. They became the parents of six children, three sons and three daughters. Elizabeth worked this fine sampler in 1820 when she would have been about 11 years old. She later attended the prestigious Emma Willard’s Troy Female Seminary in Troy, New York, from 1824 to 1828. Shortly after that she married George Washington Barton (1807-1851) and they resided in Philadelphia with their daughter, Catherine Clemson Barton, who was born in 1839. Elizabeth’s immediate older brother, Thomas Green Clemson (1807-1888), was a renowned politician and statesman, serving in various prominent national and international positions. Importantly, he founded Clemson University in South Carolina, at the end of his life. A triptych of miniature portraits on ivory, painted of Elizabeth and her sisters, Louisa and Catharine, all beautiful young ladies, is in the Fort Hill Collection of Clemson University. The sampler descended in the family for many generations. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a figured maple and cherry corner block frame. Sampler size: 16½” x 15¾”

Framed size: 20½” x 19¾”

Price: $9500.

(detail of sampler by Ann Magdalen Yates, page 23)

(detail of sampler by Jane Moss, page 15)

(detail of sampler by Elizabeth F. Somerby, page 3)

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. Columbia’s Daughters: Girlhood Embroidery from the District of Columbia. Chesapeake Book Company, Baltimore, Maryland, 2012. Anderson, Lynne and Gloria Seaman Allen. Wrought with Careful Hand: Ties of Kinship on Delaware Samplers. Biggs Museum of American Art with the Sampler Consortium, Dover, Delaware, 2014. Arnolli, Gieneke and Rosalie Sloof. Letter voor Letter: Merklappen in de opvoeding van Friese meisjes. Waanders Uitgevers, Zwolle and Fries Museum, Leeuwarden. Bolton, Ethel Stanwood and Coe, Eve Johnston. American Samplers. Boston: The Massachusetts Society of the Colonial Dames of America, 1921. Campanelli, Dan & Marty. A Sampling of Hunterdon County Needlework: The Motifs, The Makers & Their Stories. Flemington, NJ: Hunterdon County Historical Society, 2013. Edmonds, Mary Jaene. Samplers and Samplermakers, An American Schoolgirl Art 1700-1850. New York: Rizzoli, 1991. Humphrey, Carol. 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. Lukacher, Joanne Martin. Imitation and Improvement: The Norfolk Sampler Tradition. Redmond, WA: In the Company of Friends, LLC, 2013. Parmal, Pamela A. Samplers from A to Z. Boston, Massachusetts: MFA Publications, 2000. Richter, Paula Bradstreet. Painted with Thread: The Art of American Embroidery. Salem, Massachusetts: Peabody Essex Museum Collections, 2001. 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. Rounds, Leslie L. I My Needle Ply with Skill: Maine Schoolgirl Needlework of the Federal Era. Saco, Maine: Saco Museum, 2013 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. 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. Tarrant, Naomi E A. ‘Remember Now Thy Creator’ Scottish Girls’ Samplers, 1700-1872. Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Great Britain, 2014.

(detail of sampler by Elizabeth Clemson, page 32)

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 â&#x20AC;&#x153;conservation mountingâ&#x20AC;? 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. q

Carefully clean the piece using our special vacuum process.

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

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.

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

Install TruVue Conservation Clear glass which blocks 97% of the harmful ultraviolet light.

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

(detail of memorial by Jane Collins, page 12)

(detail of sampler by Elizabeth Clemson, page 32)

(detail of sampler by Elizabeth Stewart, page 5)