Samplings: L by M. Finkel & Daughter

VOLUME L

(detail of sampler by George Duryee, page 59)

(detail of sampler by Jane Johnson, page 18)

(detail of sampler by Louisa Nuttman, page 25)

Copyright ÂŠ 2016 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 our 50th volume of Samplings, and are particularly proud of this catalogue of schoolgirl samplers and needlework, produced semiannually since 1992. It is our hope that you enjoy reading through this catalogue which presents 50 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 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 69th anniversary of the founding of our firm. We continue to value our positive relationships with clients 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 note that the images may vary slightly depending on your screen. All images are of the best quality, professionally shot and of the highest digital resolution. 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 S. E. Ashley, Brook House Green School, London, England, 1799 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Betsy Ayres, North Brookfield, Worcester County, Massachusetts, 1813 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Elizabeth Baker, Great Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England, 1797 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Beadwork Picture Featuring a Flag and Eagle, United States, circa 1850 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Rosana Blackmore, Royal Artillery School, Gibraltar, 1870 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Polly Blydenburgh, Durham, New Hampshire, 1794 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Roxcy Bocemsdes, Charlestown, Rhode Island, circa 1819 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Lydia Bradley, Kingstown / Hopkinton, Rhode Island, 1812 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Clerk Family Sampler, Penicuik, Scotland, 1732 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Ann Cosson, Pennsylvania, 1821 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Cresson Family Samplers and Calligraphy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1810, 1819 and 1832 . . . . . . . 28 Emily H. Davis, Burlington County, New Jersey, 1834 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Mary Davis, Westport, Bristol County, Massachusetts, 1803 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 George W. Duryee, England, 1832 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Dutch Motif Sampler initialed IH, Amersterdam, Holland, 1748 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Catherine Earnest, Pennsylvania, 1844 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Eunice D. Edgar, New London, Connecticut, 1824 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Catherine Farquharson, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1833 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Magdalene Faulds, Ayrshire, Scotland, 1796 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Maria Jane Flanders, Danbury, New Hampshire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Deborah Fullar, Topsham, Maine, 1806 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Sophia Hammond, Waltham, Massachusetts, 1802 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Harriet F. Hayden, Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, 1817 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Sally Hoar, New Ipswich, New Hampshire, 1797 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Samplers by Sisters: Jane & Belinda Hills Johnson, Leominster, Massachusetts, 1819 & 1826 . . . . . . 18

(detail of sampler by Henrietta Weyandt, page 40)

ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF CONTENTS Hannah A. Knauer, Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1841 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Samplers by Sisters: Amelia & Ruhammah Larimer, Library, Allegheny Co., PA, 1828 & 1832 . . . . . . 48 Julia Ann May, Woodstock, Connecticut, 1819 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Motif and Alphabet Sampler, probably Brevik, Norway, 1845 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Louisa Nuttman, Acton House, England, 1826 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Georgiana Oakes, London, England, 1832 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Maria Onderdonk, Manhasset, Long Island, New York, 1840 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Lydia Packard, Quincy, Massachusetts, 1820 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Quaker Darning & Medallion Sampler on Green, possibly Westtown School, Chester Co., PA, c.1815 . . . . . 36 Anne Raymar, Boston, Massachusetts, circa 1750 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Emeline Malita Richardson, Franklin, Massachusetts, 1826 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Jane Robinson, Baltimore, Maryland, 1818 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Sally Robinson, probably Bennington, Vermont, 1797 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Susan W. Ruggles, Massachusetts, circa 1816 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Sabina Sheaff, Haverford, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, 1795 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Elizabeth Skaats, “Manhattan Isle,” New York, 1810 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Mary Smith, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1790 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Mary Tilton, Burlington County, New Jersey, 1814 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Hope Twombly, Dover, New Hampshire, 1828 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Elizabeth Ham Walsh, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1822 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Henrietta Weyandt, Mary Ralston School, Easton, Pennsylvania, 1813 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Lucy Ann Williams, Charlestown, Massachusetts, 1830 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 “Orphan” Jane Wilson, Futtehghur Orphan Asylum, N. India, 1842 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Martha J. Woodberry, Beverly, Massachusetts, 1825 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Woodbridge Family Register Sampler, East Hartford, Connecticut, circa 1768 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

(detail of sampler by Elizabeth Skaats, page 16)

Harriet F. Hayden, Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, 1817 An outstanding sampler with enormous visual appeal, this is one of several known pieces that form a small, highly significant group considered to rank highly within the finest of New Hampshire folk art. The samplers were made in the town of Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, located at the border with Massachusetts, between 1817 and 1821. Betty Ring, writing in Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. I (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1993) calls this group, “the state’s most appealing pictorial samplers” and noting the “paper-faced ladies in elegant pastures surrounded by luxuriant floral borders.” The most highly developed of these samplers also include sheep made of pin-pricked paper, delicate metallic elements stitched onto the lady’s gown and a splendid central pot of flowers. While the identity of the schoolteacher remains unknown, it is very clear that she was a highly talented needleworker. Harriet’s sampler closely resembles that made by Betsey Fay in 1818 and published as figure 281 in Girlhood Embroidery. Notable on the Fay and the Hayden samplers are the excellent faces, hair and stylish hats, all delicately painted in watercolor on paper. The use of a combination of chenille and crinkled silk floss serves the samplers well. In each case, a small-scale, tightly worked sawtooth border frames the pictorial scene with a particular refinement leading to the lush, organic, flowering vine of the outer border. Three samplers from this group, Miss Hayden’s included, present the same, appealing verse that celebrates youthful hours spent divided between the book, the needle and the pen. Born on June 25, 1804, Harriet Flint Hayden was the oldest of seven children born to Joel Hayden (1780-1856) and Rebecca (Tower) Hayden (1784-1855), residents of Fitzwilliam. Joel Hayden operated a tannery for many years and was Town Selectman from 1820 to 1823. Information about the family is published in The History of Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire 1752 to 1887 by Joel Whittemore (Burr Printing House, 1888). Harriet married John Perkins (1800-1832) whose grandfather, Joseph Perkins (1744-1821), served as a Minute Man at the Lexington Alarm. Harriet and John had one child, a daughter Helen Rebekah Perkins, who was born in 1832. Harriet died on February 8, 1853. Another sampler that Harriet made when she was eight years old in 1812, a much simpler piece, was listed in the seminal book, American Samplers by Ethel Stanwood Bolton and Eva Johnston Coe, published in 1921. The sampler was worked in silk with watercolor on paper, on fine linen gauze. It is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a mahogany frame with a gold leaf outer bead. Sampler size: 15½” x 16¼”

Framed size: 20” x 20¾”

Price: $42,000.

Emily H. Davis, Burlington County, New Jersey, 1834 The finest of all of the needlework of New Jersey is the outstanding group of samplers made within the Quaker community and schools of Burlington County in the early 19th century. These praiseworthy samplers have been studied by scholars and collected by curators for years now, appreciated for the high quality of craftsmanship, the overall composition and the whimsy of their many elements. Many of these samplers are known; indeed many were included in the statewide exhibition at the Morven Museum in 2014, Hail Specimen of Female Art! New Jersey Schoolgirl Needlework, 1726-1860. We are pleased to offer this excellent sampler made in 1834 by Emily H. Davis, which is a newly discovered example that fits squarely into this important group. Throughout her work Emily included many of the classic elements of this Burlington County group: the brick house in three-quarter view with fencing and flanked by freeform trees, the rich green lawn worked in lustrous, long stitches and the sheep, cat, fox and rooster interacting on the lawn. Additionally, baskets of fruit and Quaker-patterned sprigs of berries and flowers provide embellishment. The side borders are the classic Burlington County scrolling double vine with flowers, buds and leaves. Details such as the whiskers on the cat, the striped shutters and three dormer windows of the house, and the splendid, large exotic birds appear on other samplers from this Burlington County group, as do the three pairs of lovebirds, a classic Quaker motif. Several elements, most notably the polychrome heart above the house, are worked in the queen’s-stitch, a fine demonstration of the maker’s proficiency. The precise identity of Emily H. Davis remains elusive at this time, but research continues. The sampler was worked in silk on linen, is in excellent condition and retains much of its original color as evidenced by a photo taken of the reverse. It has been conservation mounted and is in a tiger maple and cherry corner block frame. Sampler size: 18” x 16¼”

Framed size: 22¼” x 20½”

Price: $14,000.

Clerk Family Sampler, Penicuik, Scotland, 1732 A great rarity for its early date, fine band format and highly significant family history, this Scottish sampler presents delicate needlework in a stunning composition. The family names stitched on it are John Clerk II, Baron Clerk, Janet Inglis and Dorothea C., along with the date 1732. In her excellent book, ‘Remember Now Thy Creator’ Scottish Girls’ Samplers 17001872 (Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 2014), Naomi E. A. Tarrant informs us that while there is some evidence that very early Scottish samplers were made, there are very few Scottish samplers known to date prior to 1740. One of those, made by Jean Morrison in 1728 and illustrated as figure 1.6 from the collection of the National Museum of Scotland, is similar to the Clerk sampler. They share the same long, narrow format and delicate band patterns. There has been much published about Baron John Clerk II (1676-1755), who was a Judge of the Exchequer Court in Scotland and considered one of the most talented men of his time. He was an important patron of the arts and an architect and musical composer. Sources include A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage by Sir Bernard Burke (London, 1878) and Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1-20 (London, 1921-1922). The family lived at Penicuik (aka Pennycook), just south of Edinburgh. It seems likely that the maker of the sampler may have been Dorothea Clerk, possibly a daughter or a niece of John and Janet Clerk. We do know specifically of one niece named Dorothea, who was born to John’s brother, James Clerk and his wife, Janet Murdoch. It is also possible that Baron John Clerk had a daughter of the same name. The sampler is worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in molded and painted black frame. Sampler size: 17¾” x 8¾”

Framed size: 19¾” x 10¾” Price: $15,000.

Sabina Sheaff, Haverford, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, 1795 Made in 1795 by Sabina Sheaff, a young lady from Haverford, a small town just west of Philadelphia, this is a splendid, praiseworthy sampler. It showcases Sabina’s considerable talents as a needleworker and is made all the more appealing because of the winning combination presented: it is a formal arrangement with a fresh and folky large pictorial central image. The stylized border, the typography of the verse and the stepped lawn formed of colors layered upon one another are classic characteristics of the many fine Philadelphia samplers made throughout the 18th century, often in a refined and symmetrical composition. But it is the compelling, freeform image that dominates the sampler – huge flowers springing out of a striped, double-handled urn flanked by a pair of outstanding, animated birds on tall legs and with patchwork coloration. Sprigs of strawberries provide further embellishment. Sabina’s sampler is a visual treat. Born on August 16, 1776, Sabina was the daughter of Philip Sheaff (1741-1829) and Anna Maria (Tanger) Sheaff (1736-1829). Both sides of the family were from Germany and were prominent within the large Pennsylvania German community of southeastern Pennsylvania. On February 11, 1802, Sabina married George Bishop and they remained in the area, raising a family. Sabina died on December 10, 1853 and is buried in the Newtown Friends Meeting Cemetery; her husband likely had a family connection to the Quaker community. Sabina stitched two classic sampler verse across the top, employing the contrasting color and upper case first letter for every word, a regional characteristic. The date, 1795, is stitched at the end of the verse on the left. The sampler is worked in silk on fine linen gauze. It is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into its original molded mahogany frame. Sampler size: 17¾” x 16¾”

Framed size: 19¾” x 18¾”

Price: $18,000.

Anne Raymar, Boston, Massachusetts, circa 1750 The inscription on this rare, early Boston sampler reads, “Anne Raymar is my Name and with my needle I Workt the Same I was born July the 19 1739.” The early samplers and needlework of Boston have been thoroughly researched and documented in the beautiful, scholarly book Women's Work: Embroidery in Colonial Boston, by Pamela Parmal (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 2012), as Boston and its environs produced an astounding body of work in the first three quarters of the 18th century. Anne Raymar’s sampler is small, but offers outstanding visual strength and pictorial interest. It was worked in the tradition of excellence that earned Boston a stellar reputation in this field for over a century. As she stitched on her sampler, Anne was born on July 19, 1739. Her parents were James Raymar (b. 1706) and Sarah (Dyer) Raymar (1708-1746), who married in Boston in 1730, according to City Documents. Both maternal and paternal sides of the family had been prominent citizens of Boston for some time at that point. James Raymar was a cordwainer, and his father, also James Raymar (1661-1717) was a sailmaker. Sarah (Dyer) Raymar was the daughter of Benjamin and Hannah (Odlin) Dyer. Our samplermaker, Anne, remained single and died at age 81 in 1820 in Danvers, Massachusetts, as reported in the Columbia Centinal, a newspaper. Anne’s sampler features alphabets, a cautionary couplet, “Behold Alas Our Days We Spend / How Vain They Are How Soon They End Amen” and a richly worked scene along with her inscription. A crowned lion and a fat bird flank a central flowering plant, with organic trees framing the composition. The lawn is grounded with a strong, brown and blue striped horizontal. The reverse of this sampler is as beautifully worked as is the front, as was often the case in Boston in this early period. It is a very impressive piece of needlework. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and it is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in an 18th century period frame. Sampler size: 10½” x 8”

Framed size: 13¼” x 10¾”

Price: $9000.

Elizabeth Skaats, “Manhattan Isle”, New York, 1810 The Skaats family was prominent within the early Dutch community of New York City, a thriving population that contributed many illustrious citizens and patriots to the colony and then new Republic. The Schaets (Skaats, Skaates, Skates) Family in the Netherlands (1400-1652) and in America (1652-1983) and other publications extensively document the history of this family. The family’s history began with Gideon Schaets (1609-1694), a highly educated and well-connected tutor and schoolmaster in Holland, whose desire to live in the Dutch colonies led him, along with his wife and children, to sail for New Amsterdam in 1652. He was ordained as a minister at Rensselaerswyck, which included most of what are now the New York counties of Albany and Rensselaer, as well as parts of Columbia and Greene Counties. Later Rev. Skaats went on to become a minister at Beverwyck (part of Albany), as well as a missionary among the local Native Americans. Subsequent generations of the Skaats family include a prominent surgeon who died in the Schenectady Massacre of 1690 and a highly respected silversmith of New York City whose work is in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Winterthur. Our samplermaker, Elizabeth Skaats, was born on January 15, 1794, the daughter of Elizabeth (Vonck) Skaats and Reynier Skaats (b. 1762). He was the son of Elizabeth (Schuyler) Skaats and Reynier Skaats (1735-1814), who served as the Chief City Marshall of New York. Elizabeth worked this sampler in 1810, when she was 15 years old, signing it, “Elizabeth Skaats New York December 16 1810 Manhattan Isle.” There is a refined nature to the sampler, but at the same time an appealing, folky quality to it. Finely worked depictions of flower baskets and potted plants mingle with trees and flowers and a little cottage that nestles into an apple tree. The needlework is tight, almost dense, but certain details - the scrolled handles of the large lowermost basket of fruit, for example - are graceful and delicate. The verse that Elizabeth stitched in careful and compact cross-stitches, interestingly, quotes from Shakespeare’s The Tempest. On December 5, 1811, Elizabeth married Francis Burras (Burrows / Burrers), a cabinetmaker, and they remained in New York where they had at least two children. She died on July 5, 1872 and is buried along with many family members in GreenWood Cemetery in Brooklyn. The sampler was worked in silk on very fine linen gauze. While the needlework is in excellent condition, the linen has sustained losses throughout. Conservation mounting has stabilized this well and it is now in a maple frame with cherry beads. Sampler size: 17” x 17”

Framed size: 21½” x 21½”

Price: $5800.

Samplers by Sisters: Jane and Belinda Hills Johnson, Leominster, Massachusetts, 1819 and 1826 An instructress of considerable skill was teaching girls in Leominster, a town north of Worcester, Massachusetts, as evidenced by a group of excellent samplers made from about 1805 to the mid-1820s by girls from that town. Fully developed borders of flower blossoms on leafy vines, worked in a beautiful, organic fashion, surround octagonal or round inner frameworks. The larger samplers all feature the same appealing verse that begins with, “How blest the maid whom circling years improve” and goes on to note that she divides her time between the book, the needle and the pen. We are pleased to offer a pair of these Leominster samplers made by sisters Jane Johnson and Belinda Hills Johnson, in 1819 and 1826, respectively; that they have remained together for these many years is fortunate. Their parents were Ephraim Johnson (1761-1857) and Jane (Stewart) Johnson (1775-1849), both of whom spent their lives in Leominster, and raised ten children. Ephraim was the son of Stephen and Dorothy (Whitcomb) Johnson who married in Leominster in 1757. Much information about the family is published in Genealogy of the Descendants of John White of Wenham and Lancaster, Massachusetts by Almira Larkin White (Haverhill, Mass., 1905), and we learned that Stephen was a “very spirited man and held many offices of public trust, was town clerk from 1767 to 1775.” Ephraim served in the Revolutionary War beginning in 1780, when he was 18 years old. Jane was born in 1807 as their fifth child and Belinda, their tenth child, was born in 1817. Interestingly, the girls were sent to the same school, although seven years apart; this likely speaks to the importance of this particular teacher to the town. Jane’s sampler was worked in 1819 when she was age 11 and Belinda’s sampler is dated 1826, worked when she was only 8 years old. The difference in skill between the girls is notable and understandable. In 1853, when she was 46 years old, Jane married Asa Johnson Newhall of Leominster; she died in 1895. Belinda married Charles Cushing Boyden in 1838 when she was 20. They became the parents of nine children, also remaining in Leominster. Belinda died in 1884. In that Jane didn’t have children, it’s likely that her needlework joined that made by Belinda and the two samplers descended in the family together. The samplers are both worked in silk on linen and in excellent condition. They have been conservation mounted and each in a mahogany beveled frame with a maple outer bead. Jane’s sampler size: 16½” x 17”

Framed size: 20½” x 21”

Belinda’s sampler size: 11¾” x 11¼” Price for the pair: $7200.

Framed size: 15¼” x 14¾”

Beadwork Picture Featuring a Flag and Eagle, United States, circa 1850 This outstanding, patriotic beadwork picture is a great rarity, as well as a visual treat. A large depiction of the American flag, in the classic 3-2-3-2-3 arrangement of the stars, sits boldly in a center rectangle of the same proportion. It is surrounded by wide borders, the top one featuring a wonderful eagle in the pose of the Great Seal of the United States, with a red, white and blue shield for his body. A twohandled urn, nestled into branches sporting leaves and berries, bears the initials WH, likely those of the maker. The composition is anchored by corner blocks and embellished with many motifs and devices that were familiar to 19th century needleworkers and quilt makers. The picture is suffused with great enthusiasm and an appealing whimsy. For further specifics about this piece, we turned to the noted author and expert in the field of historic American flags, Dr. Jeffrey Kenneth Kohn, for his knowledge and opinion. Dr. Kohn informed us that, “The eagle shown here is a "turkey" eagle with its wings and legs spread. This stylized turkey eagle was more commonly found on American seals, coins and military accouterments that predate the Civil War. Interestingly, when I see a flag on which the stars are shown with more than five points, I tend to think that the needleworker may have been originally from European although likely making an American flag while living here.” The use of beads, sewn individually to a linen fabric ground, is unusual as well. Beginning in the 17th century needleworkers have incorporated tiny glass beads into their work, including embroidered pictures and samplers. Generally these beads were used to highlight certain areas; a picture solidly stitched in beads, especially in a 19th century picture, is rare. This picture remains on its original stretcher with a glazed cotton backing fabric. It is in excellent condition, now in a figured maple frame with an outer bead and painted inner edge. Sight size: 10¼” x 12¼”

Framed size: 14’ x 16”

Price: $5200.

Jane Robinson, Baltimore, Maryland, 1818 The story of the family of Jane Robinson, during her lifetime, mirrors that of the history of many American families. One side had deep roots in America while the other side had recently emigrated from the British Isles. And when Jane was about twelve years old, the Robinsons left the comfort and security of their lives in the East to participate in the Westward Movement. They became an important part of the fabric of a newly established town in southern Indiana; Jane married and remained there throughout her life. However, prior to the family’s movement West, and like many young schoolgirls along our country’s eastern seaboard, Jane attended school and worked a sampler; in her case when she was ten years old. It traveled with her and remained in the family for generations. Jane’s father was William Robinson (1780-1834), who was born in Ireland and immigrated as a young man, in 1800. He settled in Baltimore where he married Mary Fearson on February 14, 1808. The Robinsons had at least nine children; some were born in Baltimore, but about 1820 the family removed to Madison, Indiana, where their last three children were born. Madison is on the Ohio River and was founded in 1810 and platted in 1811. William quickly became an important citizen of that town. When he died in 1834 at age 54, his obituary in the Madison Republican & Banner described him as one of the town’s most valuable pillars, engaged in various leadership and charitable activities. Mary (Fearson) Robinson’s family had been here for generations and her father, Capt. Jesse Fearson (1756-1838), was a privateer ship commander who served in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, during which he was captured by the British and imprisoned in Havana, Cuba. In 1827, Jane married John Alling, a Princeton graduate and young lawyer from Newark, New Jersey who was also living in Madison, and they became the parents of three sons. After his death, Jane married Rev. Simeon Crane and they also had three children. Jane died in 1874 and is buried, along with many family members, in Springdale Cemetery in Madison, Ohio. Along with the fact that Jane’s sampler showcases a handsome composition and is skillfully rendered, it is notable for its relationship to a group of five Baltimore samplers, known collectively as the “Diagonal Path Group.” This group has been studied by Maryland needlework scholars for some time. All of the samplers are dated between 1836 and 1841 and their shared characteristics include their eponymous diagonal paths and fencing leading to and from a double-chimney brick house. The discovery of a substantially earlier version of this format adds greatly to the field. We are grateful to sampler scholar, Susi Slocum, for her insights and research regarding Jane Robinson and this important group. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a beveled cherry frame with a black outer bead. Sampler size: 16¾” x 17”

Framed size: 19¾” x 20”

Price: $11,000.

Lydia Bradley, Kingstown, Rhode Island, 1812 An endearing, little sampler, this was made by a young Quaker girl from Kingstown, Rhode Island. Using the traditional Quaker wording, Lydia Bradley stitched on her sampler that she was, “Born 6 month 15 day 1803,” and Friends’ records confirm this. Her parents were Joshua and Dorcas (Rathbun) Bradley who married at the South Kingstown Monthly Meeting in 1801 and had seven children; the births of the children were recorded by the same Meeting. The family remained in Rhode Island for some years and later removed to New London, Connecticut. While the school that Lydia attended when she made this sampler was likely one that was connected to their Friends Meeting, the needlework patterns and motifs are more freeform than what was typically taught at Quaker schools. The overall feeling of it is most like an 18th century band sampler with a wonderful pictorial register, featuring a folky bird, baskets of flowers and strawberry plants at the top and an unusual, somewhat architectural band, with a pair of reeded columns, decorating the bottom. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and it is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a painted frame. Sampler size: 10¾” x 7¼”

Framed size: 13¾” x 10½” Price: $1800.

Louisa Nuttman, Acton House, England, 1826

A particularly nice, fully pictorial sampler, this was worked in vibrant colors and offers strong aesthetic appeal. The inscription, “Louisa Nuttman’s Work Finished December the 16th 1826 Acton House,” is contained within a finely stitched framework and this lower register grounds the composition of the sampler well, but it is the central and upper registers that command attention. The tall, well-dressed lady behind a fence, her little black shoes heel-to-heel, is the focal point, with many trees, animals, swans, birds and insects providing further animation. The uppermost section with a mirror-image arrangement of stylized element is classically English. The samplermaker, Louisa Nuttman, was most likely the daughter of James and Margaret Nuttman, whose marriage in 1816 took place in the Bloomsbury section of London. Louisa was baptized on August 3, 1818 at St. Sepulchre in London. This church is located just nine miles from Acton House, where she attended school. Worked in silk on wool, the sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a beveled maple frame. Sampler size: 11½” x 12½”

Framed size: 15” x 16” Price: $4500.

Sally Hoar, New Ipswich, New Hampshire, 1797 An appealing type of sampler was made in late 18th and very early 19th centuries and these samplers form an important group that has been of interest to scholars and collectors for many decades. In Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. I (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1993), Betty Ring states that these are “attractive samplers usually in vertical form with wide, deeply arcaded borders at the top and sides, and with a sawtooth border which encloses a center section that often includes one alphabet and a verse above a variety of pictorial elements. A house is most common, but there may be figures, trees, flowerpots, or various combinations of motifs. Nevertheless, they can be easily recognized by their typical borders and similar workmanship. This style emerged about 1790, was worked steadily until 1805, and occasionally occurred much later.” Some of the public institutions holding samplers from this group are the Baltimore Museum of Art, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian, and the Concord Antiquarian Society. The makers of these samplers may have attended one or more boarding schools and they were from prominent families, mostly from Massachusetts towns west and north of Boston, towns such as Cambridge, Waltham, Lexington, Concord, Medford, Andover and Dracut. Some schoolgirls were from slightly further afield, of course. We were pleased to have acquired this handsome and beautifully made sampler, an excellent piece that fits squarely into this significant group. Interestingly, it is signed, “Sally Hoar aged ten N Ipswich Sept 1797,” and research has confirmed the identity of Sally, who was from New Ipswich, New Hampshire, a town just across the state line. Along with her revealing inscription, Sally worked a wonderful scene of a house flanked by lions and leafy trees with birds, and just above that she stitched a quotation from Alexander Pope’s “Essay on Man,” which reads, “Tis virtue only makes our bliss below And all our knowledge is ourselves to know.” Sally’s grandfather was Benjamin Hoar (1717-1799), who arrived in New Ipswich about 1742, when there were only three settlers there. He was the first blacksmith as well as the first inn keeper and likely the first captain of the military company. The History of New Ipswich, from its First Grant in MDCCXXXVI to the Present Time (Boston, 1852), contains a full history of the Hoar family, stating that Benjamin was considered, for the first half century of the town’s history, to be one of its most important and useful men. Born on June 24, 1787, Sally was one of ten children of Jotham (1757-1815) and Mary (Davison) Hoar. She married Nathaniel Holmes, Jr with whom she had nine children; they lived in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Nathaniel Holmes died in 1840 and, in 1847, Sally married William Moore. Three years later, again a widow, Sally removed to Portsmouth and later to Belvedere, Illinois. She lived an unusually long life and died June 14, 1887, just ten days shy of her 100th birthday. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a molded cherry frame. Sampler size: 16½” x 14”

Framed size: 19” x 16½”

Price: $8500.

Cresson Family Samplers and Calligraphy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1810, 1819 and 1832 A handsome and finely stitched Quaker sampler was worked by Deborah Ann Cresson in 1810. In 1818, using ink and watercolor on paper, she created a very good calligraphic picture entitled, “Friendship.” These two pieces, along with a small marking sampler made by Deborah’s niece Emma Cresson in 1832, introduced us to a very unusual and fascinating family history. We are offering the three pieces as a group. The Cressons were Philadelphia Quakers with deep roots and many connections within this prosperous and close-knit community. Colonial Families of Philadelphia, edited by John W. Jordan (The Lewis Publishing Company, 1911), provides much information. Pierre Cresson, born circa 1610 in France and a Huguenot, sought religious freedom in Holland and became the farmer and gardener for the estates of the Prince of Orange. In that capacity his talents caught the attention of Governor Stuyvesant who was there on a visit and Cresson accepted a position in New Amsterdam, moving with his family to Manhattan Island. The family quickly

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Cresson Family Samplers and Calligraphy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1810, 1819 and 1832

became active leaders in Harlem and then Staten Island, holding many positions of service in the 17th century. Following the line of a grandson, Solomon Cresson (1674-1746), we find that after a time in the West Indies for a family business venture, and then surviving a shipwreck and capture by Native Americans, he joined his mother in Philadelphia. The Cressons joined the Friends Meeting and subsequent generations intermarried with prominent Quakers, taking active roles in the business and philanthropy of the city. John Elliott Cresson (1773-1814) and his wife Mary (Warder) Cresson had eight children, among them Warder Cresson, born in 1798, and Deborah Ann Cresson, born in 1802. Debby Ann, as she evidently called herself, made this sampler when she was eight years old while attending, no doubt, one of many Quaker schools active in Philadelphia at the time. Her very beautiful calligraphy is entitled, “FRIENDSHIP” and signed, “Executed by D. A. Cresson 11th mo 6th 1818 Philadelphia.” Sadly, she died young, at age 21 in 1823. Her brother, Warder Cresson, married Elizabeth Townsend, also a Quaker, in 1821. The small 1832 marking sampler that accompanies this group was made by one of their daughters, Emma Cresson, who was born in 1822. It is Warder Cresson’s life that is most intriguing. By the late 1820s, he turned away from his Quaker religion and success within the agricultural and business community of Philadelphia, choosing instead to attack privilege and its outward trappings. In 1830, he put out a pamphlet exhorting a better, humble and more (continued next page)

Cresson Family Samplers and Calligraphy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1810, 1819 and 1832 religious life, the first of his many published writings. He became deeply interested in Judaism and formed close associations with prominent American Jewish leaders of the day, including the Rabbi of Philadelphia’s renowned Mikvah Israel Synagogue. In 1844, he traveled to Washington to apply to become Consul to Jerusalem, a newly established position; and while gaining that appointment it was rescinded shortly after he began his travels to this destination. Cresson remained in Jerusalem and his fervor grew to the point that he sought to convert to Judaism. On a return trip to Philadelphia to arrange his affairs for a permanent move to Palestine, his family tried to convince him otherwise and sued him on the grounds that he had lost his sanity and should be denied his money and resources; the lawsuit that followed was one of the most famous cases of its time. Warder Cresson ultimately won and returned to Jerusalem for the duration of his life. He converted, changed his name to become Michoel Boaz Yisroel ben Avraham and became an important member of the Sephardic community, actively applying his knowledge of agriculture towards the regeneration of farming colonies there. He married, had three more children and lived the life of a pious, Orthodox Jew. When he died in Israel in 1860, he was buried on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, a very holy spot. Debby Ann’s sampler and calligraphy are each in excellent condition, Emma’s sampler is in good condition with some loss to the stitching. Both samplers are conservation mounted and Debby Ann’s is now in a dark cherry beveled frame with a black outer bead; Emma’s sampler remains unframed. The calligraphy is in a black painted, molded frame. Interestingly, Debby Ann’s sampler retained its original paper backing with her handwritten notation: “2 months work. 1810.” We are frequently asked how long a period of time it may have taken girls to work their samplers and enjoy that Debby Ann provided us with this little inked note. Debby Ann Cresson sampler size: 13¼” x 11”

Frame size: 17” x 14¾”

Debby Ann Cresson calligraphy size: 14¼” x 17½” Emma Cresson sampler size: 8¾” x 9” Price for the group: $3800.

Frame size: 17½” x 20½”

Motif and Alphabet Sampler, probably Brevik, Norway, 1845 We have come across only a handful of samplers worked on dyed red wool in our four decades of experience in this field; the use of this color entirely alters the aesthetics of a sampler and we suspect the needleworkers enjoyed stitching on this richly colored ground. This sampler shares characteristics with others made in Scandinavia – tightly designed, stylized images that include birds, deer, lions and pots of flowers interspersed with initials and crowns in a mirror-image arrangement. Alphabets fill the lower register and the date, 1845, sits near the lower right corner. Use of the slashed O in two sets of initials points to Denmark or Norway as the likely origin. Handwritten notations on the sampler’s original backboard include the name of the town, Brevik, which is on the coast south of Oslo. Worked in silk on wool, it is in very good condition with some slight wear and stabilization. It has been conservation mounted and is in a molded, black painted frame. Sampler size: 9¾” x 11”

Framed size: 11¾” x 13¼”

Price: $3000.

Sophia Hammond, Waltham, Massachusetts, 1802 We rarely find a sampler that exhibits the extraordinarily high quality of design and needlework demonstrated on this example made by Sophia Hammond of Waltham, Massachusetts. Three areas of the sampler, each worked with great technical skill, establish this excellence: the house and lawn scene, the border of grapes bunches and leaves on vines, as well as the outer and inner narrow designs, and the unusual scrolling surrounds of each word of the inscription. When a sampler of this unusual quality comes to our attention, it leads to the question as to whether there are other similar ones known, such as this talented a teacher likely attracted other students. Interestingly, there is, in fact, another sampler known to exhibit these precise characteristics and composition. It was made by Mary Harrington one year later, in 1803, and was featured on the National Geographic television show, “America’s Lost Treasures,” filmed in 2012. Sophia Hammond was born March 9, 1791 to Jonathan Hammond (1764-1807) and Elizabeth (Coolidge) Hammond, who were married in 1785 in Watertown. The earliest Hammond ancestor in America was William Hammond (1575-1662) who settled in Watertown in 1636 and became of the town’s largest landowners. Generations later, Jonathan and Elizabeth removed to nearby Waltham; both are towns west of Boston. Sophia married Nathaniel Steans (1787-1849) in Acton in 1817 and they remained in Acton where they had four children. She died in 1836 and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Acton. Sources for the family information include New England Families Genealogical and Memorial (New York, 1914) and History and Genealogies of the Hammond Families in America 1000-1902 by Frederick Stam Hammond (Oneida, NY, 1902), as well as census records and town vital records. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and it is in excellent condition, retaining much of its original color as evidenced by a photo taken of the reverse. It has been conservation mounted and is in a mahogany frame with line inlay. Sampler size: 16” x 12¼”

Framed size: 19½” x 15¾” Price: $7200.

Magdalene Faulds, Ayrshire, Scotland, 1796 An unusual Scottish sampler, this offers an excellent assortment of pictorial scenes and many motifs, all arranged in a compelling, balanced composition. The maker signed it along the bottom in three neatly worked rectangles, “Magdalene Faulds / hir work march 8 1796 / Croockhill.” The fine manor house appears with a figure of a lady in the large open doorway and two figures in second floor windows. Other details include a round window on the third floor and three finely formed chimneys. Several black dogs and a pair of swans, portrayed as if floating on small ponds, fill the area just beneath the house. Recumbent deer, open-tailed peacocks, potted plants and many other motifs embellish the field of the sampler, as well. A tall and beautifully costumed lady and gentleman each point to a serrated framework containing biblical quotes, “Cast out the scorner and contention shall go out” and “Leave off contention before it be meddled with.” All of the lettering, figures and motifs are beautifully stitched. Notably the large fruit on a branch in the same area are worked in a white-work technique; the samplermaker was particularly adept. A variation of the Golden Rule fills the top of the sampler, “As you expect all should deal by you / so deal by them and give each man his due / this golden rule inclosed in narrow road / is very precious and exceeding broad / yet tho this law you cannot fully keep / another has fair virgin do not weep.” Magdalene was born April 23, 1782, the daughter of James Faulds and Jean Dunlop, who were married on February 29, 1766. Their initials appear in the upper right corner of the sampler. The family lived near Beith, west and south of Glasgow. Magdalene named the specific village as Croockhill, which records show was spelled variously as Crookhill, and Crockhill. Chronicles from a family bible indicate that James and Jean had seven children; Magdalene had a twin brother David. Worked in silk on wool, the sampler is in excellent condition and retains much of its original color as evidenced by a photo taken of the reverse. It has been conservation mounted into a beveled dark cherry frame with a black outer bead. Sampler size: 18¾” x 12¾”

Framed size: 22½” x 16½”

Price: $7800.

Quaker Darning and Medallion Sampler on Green Linsey-Woolsey, Possibly Westtown School, Chester County, Pennsylvania, circa 1815 Samplers worked on green linsey-woolsey form a distinct group, which engages the eye with a compelling, visual appeal. We are pleased to offer this very interesting darning and geometric medallion sampler, combining the refined composition and techniques of Quaker samplers with the aesthetics of those worked on linseywoolsey. While other Quaker linsey-woolsey samplers are known, they are considered quite scarce. The salient characteristics of this sampler - half medallions, darned patterns centered on a knit patterned center rectangle and the inclusion of various sets of initials closely resemble others made at the Westtown School. This grand dame of American Quaker institutions was founded in 1799 in Chester County, Pennsylvania and is still an important Friends school today. An excellent book, Threads of Useful Learning: Westtown School Samplers (Westtown School, 2015), authored by Westtown School archivist Mary Uhl Brooks, examines the needlework produced by Westtown students from 1799 until 1843. We turned to Mrs. Brooks for her expertise and opinion on this particular sampler and share her response: “This is such an interesting sampler. I think there's a strong possibility it was stitched at Westtown, but of course that's difficult to verify. There are eight known Westtown darning samplers on green linseywoolsey. There is one medallion sampler on green linsey-woolsey in the archives of Westtown School and it is published as Catalog 47 in the book.” Darning samplers are a fascination genre to many collectors. Quoting again from Mrs. Brooks, this from Threads of Useful Learning, "Darning samplers were an exercise in invisible mending. Any woman responsible for a family's household textiles and clothing needed this skill to extend the life of these everyday items. Working a darning sampler taught a girl how to replicate weaves of various fabrics resulting in the different patterned blocks stitched on a sampler." The sampler was worked on linsey-woolsey, which is a combination of linen and wool. It is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a molded and painted black frame. Sampler size: 12¾” x 12”

Framed size: 14¾” x 14”

Price: $5300.

Lydia Packard, Quincy, Massachusetts, 1820 Exhibiting an unusually high level of expertise in the needle arts coupled with exceptional composition, this praiseworthy sampler was made by Lydia Packard when she was nine years old and living in Quincy, Massachusetts. Quite clearly much credit must go to the talented, unknown instructress, who may have been teaching in Quincy or in Boston, just 8 miles north. The outer border, formed of beautifully worked queen’s-stitch diamonds, frames the sampler well and the work is grounded by a lawn along the bottom of the sampler, with flowering plants, fruited trees and fruit baskets with birds perched on their handles. An inner, four-sided border features bunches of grapes with tendrilled vines and a bowknot at the top. It is always a pleasure to be able to offer a sampler that displays this level of excellence. The samplermaker, Lydia Packard, was born on February 10, 1811, as the 4th child of 14 born to William and Lucy (Turner) Packard who lived on Hancock Street in Quincy. William was a granite quarryman in this town which supplied coveted “Quincy Granite” to much of the region and his Packard Quarry is mentioned in History of the Granite Industry of New England (Boston, Mass., 1913). The Packard family descended from Samuel Packard (1612-1684) who sailed to New England in 1638 on the ship, Diligent, with his wife and young son. Lydia was born seven generations later. On December 13, 1840, Lydia married Charles Francis Savil (1816-1856), a machinist, also of Quincy. They remained there and became the parents of three daughters and a son. After Charles’ death, Lydia taught school in Quincy and the 1880 census recorded her as retired and living with two daughters, both schoolteachers. She died in Quincy in 1892. 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 maple bead. Sampler size: 17¼” x 16¼”

Framed size: 22” x 21” Price: $5800.

Henrietta Weyandt, Mary Ralston School, Easton, Pennsylvania, 1813 Mary Ralston of Easton, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, owned and operated a girls’ school for many years in the first half of the 19th century. The samplers produced under her instruction are highly recognizable in both their compositions and technique, and they form one of the state’s most respected 19th century groups. Mrs. Ralston was born into the Pennsylvania German community of Philadelphia in 1772 and, as a widow, opened a private girls’ school at her home in Easton circa 1812; the school remained in existence through the 1840s. The research and writing about this school, published by Betty Ring, in Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. II (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1993), remain the standard today. The discovery of Henrietta Weyandt’s outstanding sampler is a significant addition to the known body of Ralston school pieces. It was made in 1813, which is the earliest known year of samplers made at the school, and it is very similar to two other 1813 examples published by Mrs. Ring (figures 509 and 510). Shared features include the same buildings, diamond-leafed tree, little sheep, evergreen tree with the trunk extending into the foliage, flock of tiny black birds and queen’s-stitched strawberries on vine as a four-sided border. The use of white cotton thread to outline architectural elements of the main building is also consistent with the other early Ralston school samplers. Some of these samplers are now in the collections of local museums including the Northampton County Historical Society in Easton. The samplermakers were generally young girls from local Pennsylvania German families, and the Weyandt family in Pennsylvania began with Cornelius Weygant (1712-1799) who was born in Germany and immigrated to Pennsylvania, sailing from Rotterdam in 1736. He lived in Germantown, a section of Philadelphia, initially. The family history is well-documented in published sources, with variations of the spelling of this family name that include Weyandt, Weygant, Weygandt, Weigandt, Weiandt and Wyant. Henrietta was born on August 22, 1801, in Easton and at that time, her mother, Gertrude Weygandt (1782-1870), was unmarried. A year later Gertrude married John Clifton and the family continued to grow. Henrietta’s life in Easton is recognized by records from St. John’s Lutheran Church where she was active for many years. At age 39 she married a blacksmith, Samuel Barron (1800-1867) as his third wife. When she died in 1884, the Easton Daily Free Press published an obituary and described her as “full of good deeds and beloved by all who knew her.” The sampler was worked in silk and cotton on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a maple and cherry corner block frame. Sampler size: 12¾” square

Framed size: 16¾” square Price: $8700.

Woodbridge Family Register Sampler, East Hartford, Connecticut, circa 1768 The 2010 exhibition at the Connecticut Historical Society, Connecticut Needlework: Women, Art, and Family 1740-1840, curated by Susan P. Schoelwer, then the Historical Society’s director, was an outstanding one. It was comprehensive and scholarly, as well as an impressive visual treat. The accompanying book of the same title is highly important and will set the standard for many years to come. The published synopsis of the book states, “Connecticut women have long been noted for their creation of colorful and distinctive needlework, including samplers and family registers, bed rugs and memorial pictures, crewel-embroidered bed hangings and garments, silk-embroidered pictures of classical or religious scenes, quilted petticoats and bedcovers, and whitework dresses and linens. This volume offers the first regional study, encompassing the full range of needle arts produced prior to 1840. Seventy entries showcase more than one hundred fascinating examples--many never before published-from the Connecticut Historical Society's extensive collection of this early American art form.” A small, solidly stitched family register sampler made by Mary Bidwell circa 1762 is the earliest sampler chosen by Dr. Schoelwer and published as figure 17 in this book. Writing about the Bidwell sampler, Dr. Schoelwer states, “This example of a needlework family register pre-dates, by over a decade, the earliest previously recorded American example (from the Olmstead family, also from the eastern section of Hartford). It was not until after the Revolutionary War that needlework family registers appeared with any regularity, and the real boom in popularity didn’t occur until the 1820s. By 1765, some founding families could count as many as seven generations in Connecticut, and they were proud to record and display their places in that lineage.” Our Woodbridge family sampler, a recent discovery, displays precisely the same features as the Mary Bidwell example – many letter-perfect lines of uppercase text surrounded by a chain-like, geometric border with all of the ground fabric covered in tight crossstitches. The samplermakers seem to have used the rhythmic stating of family information to perfect their skill in the needle arts. The Woodbridge family in America began when Oxford educated Rev. John Woodbridge (16131691) arrived in 1634. Five years later he married Mercy Dudley, daughter of Thomas Dudley, Governor of Massachusetts Colony. His great-grandson was Russell Woodbridge, born 1719, as stitched on the first line of this sampler. Russell Woodbridge lived in East Hartford, Connecticut where the family had lived since his father, Rev. Samuel Woodbridge (1683-1746), was ordained as the first minister of the East Hartford Church in 1705, shortly after he matriculated from Harvard College in 1701. Many published sources provide information about the family. Russell was a Representative to the General Assembly and considered a very prominent citizen. He married Anna Olmsted in 1741 and they became the parents of nine children, as indicated on this sampler. It was most likely either Lucretia (born 1753) or Mary (born 1755) who made this sampler. Interestingly, the family descended from royalty in Europe, both Henry I, King of France, and Edward III, King of England, as published in various sources including Americans of Royal Descent Collection of Genealogies Showing the Lineal Descent from Kings of Some American Families by Charles H. Browning (Baltimore, 1986). We are pleased to have acquired this rare sampler that brings to light the story of the Woodbridge family. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a fine period frame. Sampler size: 10” x 7½”

Framed size: 12½” x 10”

Price: $4300.

Dutch Motif Sampler, “De Gekroonde Wees Kinder,” or “The Crowned Orphan Children" Amsterdam, Holland, 1748 We are delighted to offer this praiseworthy Dutch sampler, which displays splendid pictorial motifs and outstanding color in a strong composition. An unusual image dominates the center of the sampler – an oversized bird perched on a large flowering plant in a small pot, its delicate branches barely able to support the patchwork bird, large blossoms and two little birds. Many other classic Dutch motifs and vignettes provide further interest. Its significance, however, goes beyond the aesthetic appeal, as the sampler belongs to a group that features “The Crowned Orphan Children” or “De Gekroonde Wees Kinder.” In the lower left corner of this sampler are the costumed figures, the orphans who are dressed in bicolor clothing, specifically as orphan children of the period in Amsterdam were attired. It would have been the influence of the East India Company and its active trading in the 17th and 18th centuries that was the likely source for the subject matter of the large exotic bird, as these birds were newly introduced to various trading ports. The church with the tower shown in the lower right of the sampler resembles those known on others made in Amsterdam. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a beveled maple frame. Sampler size: 13½” x 18¾”

Framed size: 17” x 22¼” Price: $4200.

Martha J. Woodberry, Beverly, Massachusetts, 1825

A handsome and neatly worked sampler, this was made by Martha Jane Woodberry of Beverly, Massachusetts. This historic, coastal town was originally part of Salem and was first established as a town in 1626. Martha’s ancestor John Woodbury (c. 1583-1641) was one of the area’s first settlers, residing there by 1628. Family tradition has it that he arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1624 and became a prominent citizen of the fledging settlement, along with a handful of other men that included Governor John Endicott. Martha inscribed on her sampler that it was worked in the “12th year of her age December 24th 1825.” She was the daughter of Asa and Jane (Pickard) Woodberry, born on May 7, 1814. She married Dr. Edward Bradstreet (1813-1844) of Beverly in 1840; he was a Harvard graduate, class of 1834, and they had one child, a daughter born in 1841. Martha died in 1874 in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The stitching is remarkably precise, with some of the lettering showing the influence of Quaker sampler design of the period. Worked in green silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a molded, black painted frame. Sampler size: 16” x 12”

Framed size: 18¼” x 14¼” Price: $1850.

Lucy Ann Williams, Charlestown, Massachusetts, 1830 Lucy Ann Williams’ sampler, published in Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. I by Betty Ring (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1993) as figure 80, is a handsome example of an interesting group of family record samplers. They were worked in Charlestown, Massachusetts between 1824 and 1842, and their salient characteristics are three large interlocking hearts, the tomb and willow tree, the row of tulips and the title, “Family Record,” flanking the interlocked hearts with handsome freeform sprigs of flowers embellishing the space above each word. Some of the makers of these samplers included a depiction of a three-story house, as well. These samplers feature very good compositions and it is assumed that the makers were taught by a talented instructress, likely at an academy in Charlestown. The article entitled Decorated Family Records from Coastal Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut by Peter Benes, published in Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife, Families and Children (1985), presents further information regarding this type of sampler and other related groups. Lucy Ann Williams was a descendant of early settlers of several towns in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, including Cambridge, Roxbury, Watertown, Arlington and Charlestown; the immigrant ancestor was Robert Williams (1707-1693) who arrived in 1637 and lived in Roxbury where he held various town offices. One of his great-grandsons was Ephraim Williams, founder of Williams College. Lucy was the youngest child of John and Abigail (Corey) Williams who were married on December 27, 1796, as stitched inside the inverted heart. Her father died in 1828, two years before she made the sampler and he is memorialized on the tomb in the lower right corner. In 1834, Lucy married Joseph W. Gliden, also of Charlestown. They remained there and had at least one child, a daughter. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in very good condition with some slight overall wear. It has been conservation mounted and is in a black painted, molded frame. Sampler size: 16¾” x 16¾”

Framed size: 19” x 19”

Price: $6200.

Samplers by Sisters: Amelia and Ruhammah Larimer, Library, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 1828 and 1832 These wonderfully folky pictorial samplers were worked at the same school and were made by sisters who lived in the little town of Library in western Pennsylvania, south of Pittsburgh. Of course, samplers made by sisters rarely remain together after almost two centuries and these two are particularly interesting because of their highly compatible characteristics and visual appeal. Amelia and Ruhammah Larimer each featured tall houses with diamond shaped windows at the roof line and, variously, birds, trees, stylized flowers, stars and a young lady with her arms crossed. The subject matter, scale, palette and workmanship are remarkably similar. Ameliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sampler is dated 1828 and Ruhammahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s has two years on it, 1831 and 1832, presumably the start and end dates of her project. They were the daughters of Ebenezer and Leah (Rigdon) Larimer, who married in 1816 and resided in Library, a town named for the fact that it contained the first circulating library west of the Allegheny Mountains. Ebenezer was a lawyer and the couple had several children, who are named in his Last Will and Testament, dated 1833. Specifics about Ameliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birth have been elusive, but we know that Ruhammah was born on June 21, 1825 and so would have been particularly young when, at

age seven, she finished her sampler. Similarly, much is known about Ruhammah’s later life, although little about Amelia’s; it’s possible that she died young. Ruhammah married Hamilton Rea and their first child, born in 1845, was named Amelia, it would seem for her sister. The Rea family removed to Richland County, Ohio, and Ruhammah died there in 1857. While specifics about the school or the teacher responsible for these sampler aren’t yet known, the initials MT that appear within the stepped lawn of Ruhammah’s sampler are likely those of the teacher. There is one other known sampler that was worked at the same school. That, made by Jane Murray in 1831, includes depictions of precisely the same house and young lady. Both samplers were worked in silk on linen, are in excellent condition and retain much of their original color as evidenced by a photo taken of the reverse. They have each been conservation mounted and are in maple and cherry cornerblock frames. Amelia Sampler size: 16¼” x 16” Framed size: 20¼” x 20” Ruhammah Sampler size: 17” x 16½” Framed size: 21” x 20½” Price for the pair: $16,000.

Elizabeth Baker, Great Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England, 1797 A great number of samplers and silk embroideries depicting “A Map of England and Wales” were made in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. These were classroom projects that combined lessons in needlework with those of geography, the later patterned on published maps of the period. We have seen many over the years but none as finely and minutely worked as this very large and detailed map, made in 1797 by Elizabeth Baker, age 13, of Great Marlow. Many map samplers include the names of the shires, or counties, but Elizabeth stitched hundreds of names of towns and villages as well. In order to fit this onto her sampler she used the tiniest lettering imaginable, the smallest that we have ever encountered on any sampler. Elizabeth Baker seems to have practiced stitching her tiny lettering on sections of the linen that she knew wouldn’t show as they would be covered up by the oval eglomisé painted glass mat; letters of the alphabet and her surname, Baker, are worked in the corner areas of the linen, and are now beneath the painted mat. A fine depiction of Britannia seated on the lion appears in the upper right area, with her head and arms painted directly onto the linen. The outlines of the shires are finely worked in the chain stitch and the border is a graceful flowering vine that works into the cartouche containing the inscription at the bottom. While we can’t be certain, the maker was likely the Elizabeth Baker who was baptized on October 10, 1784 in Colnbrook, a village located 16 miles from Great Marlow. The sampler was worked in silk and paint on fine linen gauze. There are some very small holes to the linen in the upper left area at the oval border of flowers on vine. The needlework remains in excellent condition throughout. It has been conservation mounted and is in its original frame with its original eglomisé glass mat. Size of the oval: 23½” x 20½”

Framed size: 31½” x 28½”

Price: $7400.

Deborah Fullar, Topsham, Maine, 1806 While relatively few were made, samplers worked on green linsey-woolsey generally originate from the coastal towns of southern Maine, New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts. Signed, “Done dy [sic] Deborah Fullar aged nine years Topsham Oct 3 1806,” this endearing alphabet sampler was worked with a delicate hand. Topsham is just across the Androscoggin River from Brunswick, in southern Maine. Born on September 17, 1798 in Topsham, Maine, Deborah was the daughter of Jarius and Eunice (Harding) Fullar / Fuller, who were married in Brunswick in 1793. The Topsham Vital Records publish much in regard to the family, indicating that Jarius and Eunice had at least eight children. In 1823 Deborah married Stephen Sewall Stinson (1794-1864) and they had six children, again according to town Vital Records. Deborah died on December 9, 1853 in Topsham. Worked in silk on linsey-woolsey, the sampler is in very good condition, with some weakness. It has been conservation mounted and is in a fine 19th century gold leaf frame. Sampler size: 15” x 10¾”

Framed size: 18” x 13¾”

Price: $2200.

Ann Cosson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1821 Quaker instructresses in southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey taught girls to make a highly recognizable form of sampler, with many specifically designed needlework motifs set in an overall floating and symmetrical format. We find that the majority of these samplers were made between 1810 and 1830. Ann Cosson’s large and handsome sampler is an excellent example of this genre and presents a wonderful assortment of these Quaker motifs. While we don’t know what school she attended; we appreciate the classic Quaker characteristics of her beautifully made sampler. Flower branches, lily-of-the-valley plants, hanging bunches of grapes, buds on sprigs, butterflies, blue birds, little lions and other elements face each other on either side of a centered potted flowering plant, fruit baskets and a letter-perfect four line version of the Golden Rule. Ann included three sets of initials on her sampler, MC centered at the top and IC, twice, in the lower corners. While we don’t know specifics about her, the prominent placement of MC points to the household of Mary Cosson, recorded by the 1810 and 1820 census living in the Southwark section of Philadelphia. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into its original cherry frame with an outer beaded edge. Sampler size: 20½” x 20½”

Framed size: 24” x 24”

Price: $3000.

Rosana Blackmore, Royal Artillery School, Gibraltar, 1870 The majority of samplers made at schools in England and the United States date prior to about 1840 when the curriculum changed and needlework was no longer considered a priority. There are exceptions, of course, and these frequently were made at schools that were actually or theoretically outside of the mainstream. We enjoy finding these examples and offer this handsome and neatly ordered sampler made in 1870 in Gibraltar at the Royal Artillery School. It was worked by the twelve year old daughter of an artillery expert who spent his life in the British Army. This British Overseas Territory was ceded to Britain "in perpetuity" under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Over the years, under the direction of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers, the British turned this strategic location into a fortress in use to this day. Rosana Blackmore was the daughter of a heavy artillery expert, Master Gunner Richard Blackmore, who was stationed for over nine years on the military base at Gibraltar. His wife was Magdalena (Bald) Blackmore and their daughter, Rosana, was born on March 4, 1858; her baptism one month later was performed at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Gibraltar. The British Army was, in effect, a family business with wives and children stationed and living with the men. By this time the Army provided excellent schools, in part to educate the sons of soldiers to follow in their fathers’ careers. The records of the National Archives of Great Britain provide excellent documentation and copies of this information accompany the sampler. Master Gunner Blackmore received the prestigious Victorian Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, awarded only to those who provided outstanding service. In 1873, Blackmore was transferred to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and again his family accompanied him. Rosana married William Barnes in Halifax in 1879. The instructress who taught Rosana was likely a British schoolteacher who continued the traditions of earlier generations; the verse stitched was an 18th century hymn found on other British samplers and the border evokes earlier needlework, as well. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a period walnut frame. Sampler size: 10¾” square

Framed size: 13¾” Price: $1300.

Sally Robinson, probably Bennington, Vermont, 1797 This large and very nicely worked sampler, with its many pictorial motifs, alphabets and horizontal bands, is signed, “Sally Robinson Aged 9 Years 1797.” Several notable features found on the sampler - specifically the large white dove, outlined in black, the little black dogs, pine trees, a pyramid of fruit in basket and a fully worked panel containing the inscription - point to the distinct possibility that Sally was living and working in Bennington, Vermont; we are grateful to Jamie Franklin, curator of the Bennington Museum in Vermont, for calling this to our attention. While the white dove is also a signature motif of a group of samplers from Deerfield, Massachusetts, Mr. Franklin referred us to other Bennington samplers that resemble our Robinson sampler, with the white dove outlined in black as their central motif. The Robinson family is an important one with deep roots in Bennington. Memorials of a Century Embracing a Record of Individuals and Events Chiefly in The Early History of Bennington, VT and its First Church, by Isaac Jennings (Boston, 1869), includes much information, beginning with Samuel Robinson (1707-1767). He was the, “acknowledged leader in the band of pioneers in the settlement of the town; and continued to exercise almost a controlling authority in the affairs of the town, the remainder of his life.” Residing in Bennington by 1733, Samuel held many prominent positions in the town and the colony. Additionally, his son Moses Robinson (1741-1813) was the second Governor of the State. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a beveled cherry frame. Sampler size: 21¼” x 15½” Framed size: 25½” x 19¾” Price: $4300.

Susan W. Ruggles, Massachusetts, 1816

Young schoolgirls often worked their first sampler between age 5 and 8, learning the alphabet, some wording and basic stitching techniques at the same time. This carefully stitched little sampler is signed “Susan. W. Ruggles. Born Aug. 23. 1809. Aged 7 years,” and survives as an endearing example of this type of work. It also provides a window into the early childhood of Susan Willard Ruggles, who was born in Barre, a small town in mid-state Massachusetts. Indeed, as she stitched on her sampler, Susan was born on August 23, 1809; she was the second child of Willard and Susanna (Packard) Ruggles. Sadly, she was orphaned by her second birthday. Her late mother’s sister, Mary (Packard) Robinson and her uncle, Benjamin Robinson, Jr. later adopted her. They lived in East Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Massachusetts where Susan was christened in 1816. At age 21, she married Isaac Sampson Washburn (1805-1838) and they remained in East Bridgewater, becoming the parents of three children. After Isaac’s death, Susan removed to Boston, and died there in 1853. The sampler was worked in linen on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a black painted, molded frame. Sampler size: 9¾” x 10”

Framed size: 12” x 12¼”

Price: $1100.

George W. Duryee, England, 1832 Samplers made by boys are extremely rare. Of those few that we have known over the many years, more were made by young boys than by older ones, as they likely were educated alongside girls in their early years. Signed, “George W. Duryee Age 7 1832,” this small sampler is a visual delight. The lower pictorial register is a balanced composition centered on a handsome flower basket and sitting on a lawn worked in a pattern of two shades of green. The upper register dominates the sampler, presenting a house with a small dependency building and a stylish and well-dressed couple, she with her parasol and striped skirt and he with his top hat and walking stick. Their little black dog and a sharply stylized pine tree sit between them. All of the needlework is tight and finely done, indicating a fine aptitude on the part of young George. The sampler is worked in silk on wool and is in very good condition. Some areas of the background were weakened and they have been stabilized in the conservation process. It has been conservation mounted and is in a molded and black painted frame. Sampler size: 8½” square

Framed size: 10½” Price: $3200.

Elizabeth Ham Walsh, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1822 With its striking similarities to other Portsmouth, New Hampshire samplers, this one made by Elizabeth Ham Walsh in 1822 is an interesting discovery. A study of the samplers illustrated in the book In Female Worth and Elegance: Samplers and Needlework Students and Teachers in Portsmouth, New Hampshire 1741-1840, by John F. LaBranche and Rita F. Conant (The Portsmouth Marine Society, 1996), as well as information published earlier by Betty Ring, indicates that instructresses in Portsmouth in the 1820s taught their students to feature many of the salient characteristics that appear on our Walsh sampler: the pair of small houses, large baskets piled with round fruit, geometric trees and use of the first stanza of poem entitled “The Grave”, written in 1804 by James Montgomery (1771–1854). It seems likely that Elizabeth was a student of Miss Ann L.C. Jones as was Ann Elizabeth Ham, whose 1826 sampler made at Miss Jones’ school is published on page 59 of the LaBranche and Conant book. Elizabeth Ham Walsh was born on January 24, 1814 and would have been only eight years old when she made this sampler – a wonderful accomplishment for such a young girl. Her proficiency in this field is apparent with closer study of this sampler, as she included two of the fine eyelet stitched flowers (in the upper corners of her border) found on other Portsmouth samplers. On August 24, 1842, Elizabeth married George Whitehouse (1818-1871), a master brick mason, and they had at least three children. Elizabeth died in 1878 and is buried along with family members in the Pine Hill Cemetery in Portsmouth. The sampler was worked in silk on linen, is in excellent condition and retains much of its original color as evidenced by a photo taken of the reverse. It has been conservation mounted and is in a molded frame painted black. Sampler size: 14” x 12¼”

Framed size: 16” x 14¼” Price: $3800.

Mary Smith, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1790 Some of the most extraordinary American schoolgirl samplers were worked in Philadelphia in the 18th century, where instructresses continued the excellent teachings and applied the very high standards that they had brought from England. Features such as the band format and the inscriptions that alternate with rows of stylized flowers, and little trees inserted as line end motifs can be found on many praiseworthy samplers from Philadelphia. Another, more unusual, characteristic also indicates the origins of samplers from this region – an enduring pattern, which seems to have been in use in Philadelphia as early as the 1730s and was continued for almost a century - that of working the first letter of each word in the upper case. This outstanding sampler was worked by Mary Smith in 1790 and it exhibits excellent needlework throughout; it is a fine example that closely resembles others made in the classic Philadelphia style. The inscription reads, “Mary Smiths Work Done In Her 12 Year DSC 13 1790.” She seems to have used “DSC” as her own abbreviation for December. Mary’s inscriptions include some of those often used by 18th century samplermakers: “The Lord Is Only My Support And he / That Doth Me Feed How Can I Then / Want Any Thing Whereof I Stand In Need” and “Lord Give Me Wisdom To Direct My / Ways I Beg Not Riches Nor the Length of Days” and “This Work In Hand My Friends May / Have When I Am Dead And Lay In Grave” and “Beauty Like A Flower Faideth In An Our” The sampler was worked in silk on linen gauze and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted in an excellent 18th century deep red painted frame. Sampler size: 17½” x 13¾”

Framed size: 19¾” x 16”

Price: $18,000.

Mary Davis, Westport, Bristol County, Massachusetts, 1803 There is a wonderfully appealing simplicity to this sampler, which was worked by Mary Davis, a young Massachusetts schoolgirl who dated her work, “FINIS 1803.” The palette of blue, tan, beige and deep brown, the depiction of a charming small house with a blue roof, some unusual little elements and a patterned horizontal band all add further to the endearing nature of the sampler. Family information that accompanied the sampler indicates that Mary married George M. Brownell and this led us to a good deal of further family history. The Davis family lived in Westport, Massachusetts, a town on Buzzard’s Bay at the border with Rhode Island; Mary was born here, likely in 1794, the daughter of William and Mary (Peck) Davis. Research uncovered much about the Peck side of the family, which is well documented in A Genealogical History of the Descendants of Joseph Peck Who Emigrated With His Family To This Country in 1638, by Ira B. Peck (Boston, Massachusetts, 1868). Our samplermaker’s grandfather, Peleg Peck (1736-1807), of Swansea, Massachusetts, took an early and active interest in military affairs of Massachusetts. After the commencement of the Revolutionary War, he was a zealous patriot, acting as an agent in raising soldiers and held a Captain’s commission in a military company. On October 19, 1809, Mary Davis married George Milk Brownell (1787-1830) as confirmed by Westport town records. They had three children between 1810 and 1814 and Mary died circa 1820. George remarried and the firstborn from that marriage, Mary Davis Brownell, was named for his late wife. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a molded, black painted frame. Sampler size: 11” x 11¾”

Framed size: 13” x 13¾”

Price: $2600.

Georgiana Oakes, London, England, 1832 Excellent composition, a charming pictorial scene and highly skilled needlework combine in this very appealing sampler worked by a seven year old girl. It is signed, “Georgiana Oakes completed this work in the 8eth year of her age. June the 7eth 1832.” Georgiana was baptized on January 14, 1825 at St. George Hanover Square in London; she was the daughter of Samuel and Anne Oakes. The stylized leafy vine border frames the sampler well and four pinwheels sit nicely in the corners. An interesting scene fills the center of the sampler: a thatch-roofed cottage with smoke coming out of its brick chimney is set amongst large flowering plants and flying insects. The verse was authored by English poet, physician and naturalist, Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802) as part of his The Botanic Garden, written in 1791. Worked in silk on wool, the sampler is in very good condition with several areas where the wool has been darned. The needlework is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a beveled maple frame with a black bead. Sampler size: 16¾” x 12¾”

Framed size: 20¼” x 16¼”

Price: $1300.

Emeline Malita Richardson, Franklin, Massachusetts, 1826 Made by Emeline Malita Richardson who was living in Franklin, a town southwest of Boston and near the Rhode Island border, this is a neatly worked sampler with an endearing little house and lawn scene. A wonderful light green was used for the house and the squared-off fence. Four cypress trees punctuate the yard and a basket with a freeform flowering plant provides appealing embellishment. The border is one designed of rhythmic strawberries and it leads to an outer drawn-work edging. Emeline was eleven years old when she worked her sampler; she was born on April 22, 1815 to Eli and Melita (Norcross) Richardson. Information published in The Richardson Memorial: comprising a full history and genealogy of the posterity of the three brothers, Ezekiel, Samuel, and Thomas Richardson, who came from England by James Adam Vinton (Portland, ME, 1876) indicates that Emeline’s ancestors in Massachusetts began in the mid-17th century. Eli Milton Richardson (1791-1875) married Malita Norcross in 1814 in Franklin, and Emmeline was the first of their ten children. In 1835, she married Joel Gilbert Partridge (1813-1846) of Medway and they had three children. Emeline died in 1840 at age 25 and is buried in the historic Evergreen Cemetery. Her sampler descended in the family for at least three generations. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition and has been conservation mounted into a beveled, cherry frame. Sampler size: 12¾” x 17½”

Framed size: 16½” x 21¼”

Price: $2200.

Julia Ann May, Woodstock, Connecticut, 1819 This engaging sampler was made by Julia Ann May of Woodstock, Connecticut and closely resembles another sampler that we previously owned, also worked by a Woodstock girl. An instructress of significant talent must have been teaching in Woodstock, which is located in the northeastern corner of the state. Both samplermakers demonstrated considerable skill in the use of queen’s stitch to work the entire lawn and flowering plants along the bottom of their samplers. This difficult and time-consuming technique would have been considered quite an accomplishment for a needleworker of any age and Julia Ann May was ten years old when she worked this sampler. As indicated on the sampler, Julia Ann was born on October 2, 1808. Her parents were Abigail (Chandler) May and Capt. Ephraim May; Commemorative Biographical Record of Tolland and Windham Counties Connecticut (J.H. Beers & Co, Chicago, 1903) reveals much information about the family. Their ancestor who first came to America was John May (1590-1670), who was by family tradition said to be master of the ship, “The James” which sailed between London and New England as early as 1635. Julia’s father was a farmer and served in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, gaining the title of Captain in the State Militia. Julia Ann May died young, at age 17, and is buried in the East Woodstock Cemetery. The sampler is worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a molded and painted black frame. Sampler size: 17½” x 11¾”

Framed size: 19½” x 13¾”

Price: $2800.

S. E. Ashley, Brook House Green School, London, England, 1799 We always enjoy the discovery of a sampler worked at a school that has been unknown to those who study and collect in this field, especially when the needlework on the sampler displays excellence in design and execution. S. E. Ashley completed this stunning damask darning sampler in 1799 at the Brook Green House School, a Catholic school for girls in the Hammersmith neighborhood of London. This is the first sampler made at this school to come to the attention of those knowledgeable on the subject. Interestingly, the sampler closely resembles those made at the Ackworth School, a Quaker boarding school established in Yorkshire, England in 1779. One of the most distinctive and visually appealing type of sampler worked at the Ackworth School is the damask darning sampler with the majority made in the 1780s and 1790s. The skills that darning samplers taught were important ones for women throughout their lives as they needed to repair expensive household fabrics and clothing. Carol Humphrey’s excellent book, Quaker School Girl Samplers from Ackworth (Needleprint & Ackworth School Estates Limited, 2006), presents much information regarding the many types of Ackworth school samplers, as well as those that show the strong influence of the Ackworth style but were made at other schools. Mrs. Humphrey, commenting on our Brook Green House sampler and its strong resemblance to those made at Ackworth, states, “Darning samplers had become ‘fashionable’ as many schools adopted and adapted the simple format associated with Ackworth and Quaker schools. By the end of the 18th century this type of sampler was being made in most Quaker schools all over the country and they must have been seen by many a non-Quaker.” The Brook Green House area of London, known early on for its brickyards and later for its market gardens and vineyards, was a neighborhood with a strong influence of the Catholic Church from the 18th century on. Brook Green House School was established as a Catholic girls’ boarding school in the late 18th century with a Mrs. Eleanor Bayley functioning as its head. The school remained viable through at least 1838, when it was listed in The Catholic Directory and Annual Register. In 1850, the Catholic Poor School Committee, which had been established in 1847 by the bishops of England and Wales, purchased the school building to use as the base for this new venture. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition and remained unframed until recently. It has been conservation mounted and is in a 19th century frame. Sampler size: 9½” x 9¼” Framed size: 12” x 11¾” Price: $2200.

Maria Onderdonk, Manhasset, Long Island, New York, 1840 A handsome, relatively simple alphabet sampler with a lineup of very good little motifs and the maker’s oversized initials along the bottom, it is signed, “Maria Onderdonk Wrought This Sampler In The 9th Year Of Her Age December AD 1840 Manhasset Long Island State Of New York.” The Onderdonk family, from the Netherlands, has a long and rich history in this country, well-documented in Genealogy of the Onderdonk Family in America by Elmer Onderdonk (New York, 1910). Residing in Delaware by 1653, the family removed to Long Island within a few decades. The handsome home built in Cow Hill, Manhasset by Adrianse Onderdonk in 1700 remained in the family for two hundred years. Maria was born on September 17, 1832, the second of six children of Horatio Gates and Elizabeth (Schenck) Onderdonk of Manhasset. Horatio was a prominent and highly successful lawyer and judge, with offices in Manhasset and on Nassau St. in New York. He was Justice of the Peace, held appointments from the Governor and served as Master in Chancery. At age 24, Maria was married to Dr. Henry Constantine Simms at the Manhasset Dutch Reformed Church. They lived in Manhasset and had two sons; Maria died at age 89 and is buried in the very substantial family plot at the church. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and retains much of its original color as evidenced by a photo taken of the reverse. It has been conservation mounted and is in a period, richly colored pine frame. Sampler size: 12½” x 17¼”

Framed size: 17½” x 22¼”

Price: $2200.

Hope Twombly, Dover, New Hampshire, 1828 With a fine pictorial scene along the bottom and alphabets above, this sampler is signed, “Wraught by Hope Twombly aged IX.” Use of Roman numerals within an inscription is unusual and reminds us that the schoolgirls were learning other lessons, as well. Hope lived in the coastal town of Dover, just northwest of Portsmouth and we see the influence of the architecture of this town in the depiction of a Federal house with a widow’s walk railing between the chimneys. The house is set on a wonderful sawtooth-patterned lawn and is situated between a basket of flowers and a large leafy tree. The other building may be a large barn or a dependency, as it is without chimneys. Notably, the hearts and flower buds that embellish the side borders and horizontal band are found on other samplers from southern New Hampshire. Born in Dover on April 20, 1819, Hope was the daughter of Isaac and Susan (Tuttle) Twombly. She was nine years old when she made this sampler and at age twenty she married Thomas Tuttle, also of Dover. They had ten children born between 1839 and 1863. It’s possible that this family descended from the same ancestor as the famous 20th century artist, Cy Twombly (1928-2011), as his ancestors were also from New Hampshire. Hope died on February 1, 1897 and is buried in Pine Hill Cemetery in Dover. Worked in a delicate palette of silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a molded and black painted frame. Sampler size: 17¼” x 15¼”

Framed size: 20” x 18”

Price: $3500.

Roxcy Bocemsdes, Charlestown, Rhode Island, circa 1819 Roxanna Boscemsdes, or Roxcy as she calls herself on her sampler, made this sampler in Charlestown (also spelled “Charleston” early on), Rhode Island when she was nine years old. It is a neatly worked and nicely colorful sampler with an interesting and unusual family history. Roxcy was born July 1, 1810 to Frederick and Frances (Daniels) Boscemsdes of Charleston, the first of their two children. Fredrick was born in Switzerland and Frances was a Native American and member of the historic Narragansett tribe. Frederick died in 1824 and Frances lived a long life and didn’t remarry. There are published court documents from 1853 (Acts and Resolves of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Providence, May Session, 1853) indicating that Frances, a member of the Narragansett tribe of Indians, petitioned the state of Rhode Island for authorization to sell a tract of land; permission was granted with the contingency that the sale and its proceeds were administered by the Commissioner of the Indian Tribe. Roxcy married Andrew Melville of Newport in 1837 and they had four children. After Andrew’s death, she married Joseph Dwight in 1855. Records indicate that she died in 1887 and is buried in the North Burial Ground, Providence, Rhode Island. The sampler is composed of alphabets and numbers separated by decorative rows and bands at the top and bottom. The large alphabet and some of the bands are worked in the eyelet stitch; all of the needlework was done with great care. Worked in silk on linen, it is in excellent condition; conservation mounted and in an ochre painted frame. Sampler size: 10¾” x 10¼”

Framed size: 12¾” x 12¼”

Price: $2400.

Maria Jane Flanders, Danbury, New Hampshire, 1830 This is a wonderful, little sampler, unusual because while it is the size of miniature, the maker imbued it with a strong presence. The inscription, including the town name, and a fine, pale yellow double-chimney house fill the sampler nicely, along with a handful of small motifs, including interlocking hearts. Born on December 30, 1814, Maria Jane Flanders was the seventh of ten children of Levi and Dorothy (Pillsbury) Flanders. The family lived in Danbury, a small town in western New Hampshire. Both the Flanders and Pillsbury families have deep roots in New England. The Flanders Family From Europe to America (The Tuttle Publishing Company, 1935) traces the family history back to Steven Flanders who was born in 1658/9 and came to Massachusetts as an adult. The Pillsbury Family Being a History of William and Dorothy Pillsbury (or Pilsbery) of Newbury in New England (Massachusetts Publishing Company, 1898) documents William Pillsbury’s arrival in Boston, circa 1640, and traces all subsequent generations. Maria Jane’s father, Levi Flanders (1780-1828) was Justice of the Peace in Danbury in 1814, Town Clerk in 1818 and kept a tavern there as well. Her grandfather, Levi Flanders (1758-1836), served in the Revolutionary War. Her maternal side of the family produced John Sargent Pillsbury (1827-1901) who became governor of Minnesota and founder, along with a nephew, of the Pillsbury Company. In 1842, Maria Jane married John French from nearby Orange, New Hampshire and they had five children. After John’s death in 1863, she married Archibald Ford. Maria Jane died in 1880 in Orange. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a reeded frame. Sampler size: 6” x 7¾”

Framed size: 7½” x 9¼”

Price: $2800.

“Orphan” Jane Wilson, Futtehghur Orphan Asylum, N. India, 1842 The Good Old Days of Honorable John Company, Being Curious Reminiscences Illustrating Manners and Customs of the British in India During the Rule of the East India Company From 1600 to 1858, by W. H. Carey (Calcutta, 1906), offers a wonderful description of the origin of the Futtehghur Orphan Asylum, which was located in northern India, in the province of Agra: “The Futtehghur Orphan Asylum owes its origin to the calamitous effects of the famine of 1837-38, when hundreds of poor children, bereft of parents and left destitute of support, were rescued from want and misery by the exertions of a generous and humane officer, and located in a separate dwelling, where they received all the nurture and attention which the most affectionate solicitude could suggest.”

An American, Rev. Mr. James Wilson, was the leader of this Orphan Asylum, which cared for as many as 95 children at its height and which closed in 1846. Further published sources offer more information, painting a tragic picture of the state of these children and specifics about the facility and the care provided. As was the custom of the period, the missionaries cared for and sought to teach and convert the natives. In keeping with the education provided, young girls were taught to make samplers, and there are others known to been made at orphanages in India. This carefully composed and worked sampler was made at the Futtehghur Orphan Asylum in 1842. As one would expect, the needlework features a biblical quotation, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,” Mark XVI and a further moralistic verse that was published in the 19th century as a missionary hymn. The samplermaker signed her work, “By an Orphan Jane Wilson,” and in that she was from the native India population, it isn’t likely that she was born with that name. A baptism was the probable source of “Jane,” and she may have taken the surname of the spiritual leader of the orphanage, Rev. Wilson. While much of the sampler was accomplished in the cross-stitch, several lines of the eyelet stitch indicate a greater aptitude. Jane was taught by an experienced needlewoman it would seem. The sampler was worked in silk and linen on linen and it is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a late 19th century oak frame. Sampler size: 12” x 7”

Framed size: 15” x 10” Price: $2700.

Mary Tilton, Burlington County, New Jersey, 1814 Mary Tilton, a fourteen-year-old schoolgirl from Burlington County, New Jersey, worked this handsome sampler which features a balanced composition and an excellent assortment of Quaker motifs – rose sprigs, blue striped urns of fruit, paired birds and fat acorns as part of arrangements in two-handled urns. A variety of alphabets were stitched as well, notably one in the eyelet-stitch. Mary also demonstrated her expertise by including four fat strawberries worked in the queen’s-stitch. Mary stitched the initials of her parents, AT and ET and this enabled us to identify and research the family. They were Quakers, Abraham Tilton (1759/60 – 1836) and Elizabeth (Rogers) Tilton, who married in 1781 and were members of the Chesterfield Monthly Meeting of Burlington County. Mary was born on July 31, 1799, the ninth of their eleven children. She would have learned to stitch her sampler under the instruction of one of the many fine teachers in that area in the early 19th century. Typically, these teachers were young women who had been students at Westtown School in Chester County, Pennsylvania, a Friends boarding school, where these specific and appealing sampler patterns and motifs were developed and taught. Mary’s ancestors in America began with John Tilton (1612/23-1688) and Mary Pearsall (1620 – 1683). They emigrated to the colonies between 1630 and 1640, settling initially in Massachusetts and then moving to Long Island, New York in 1642. Their sons, John Jr. and Peter, removed further to New Jersey where the family owned large tracts of land. Abraham Tilton (1759/60-1836), Mary’s father, served as a private in the Revolutionary War as a young man. He was the only son and youngest child of Abraham Sr. and Elizabeth (Thorn) Tilton. Records show that the Quaker church dismissed him in 1781, likely because of his military service, but he rejoined the church ten years later. History of the Tilton Family in America, by Francis Theodore Tilton (Madison, WI, 1927), publishes much more information about this family. Additionally, an extensive file of genealogical research accompanies this sampler. In 1831, Mary married a farmer, Samuel Steward, son of Thomas and Mary (Allen) Steward, a young man who was also from an early New Jersey family. They had at least four children, as evidenced in later census records: Susan, Benjamin Franklin, Mary and Emily and lived in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey. Samuel died in 1861 and Mary in 1867. Their descendants remained in Mercer and Burlington Counties for some generations. Worked in linen on linen, this sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a fine mahogany frame with an outer bead. Provenance: Collection of Dan and Marty Campanelli Sampler size: 18” x 16½”

Framed size: 21½” x 20”

Price: $4800.

Betsy Ayres, North Brookfield, Worcester County, Massachusetts, 1813 Provenance: Collection of Betty Ring A small and charming sampler worked on fine linen gauze, this is signed, “Betsy Ayres aged 11 years N Brookfield August 4 1813.” It was in the personal collection of renowned needlework scholar and author, Betty Ring, for many years and we are happy to be able to continue to offer samplers with this illustrious provenance. The sampler has an appealing delicacy throughout, while also indicating a high level of skill in the needle arts. Betsy stitched a building with an unusual, tall and elegant windowed tower that dominates the pictorial register, and which offers details such as the mullions and an arch-top door. Feathery flowers in a latticework urn and a windswept tree finish the scene. The verse is the first four lines from Elegy Written in a Country Graveyard, by noted British poet, Thomas Gray (17161771), published in 1751 and very popular for decades on both sides of the pond. History of North Brookfield Massachusetts, by J. H. Temple (North Brookfield, Massachusetts, 1887), informs us that the Ayres family came to this town in the early 18th century. Betsy was born on October 7, 1801, the daughter of Jabez and Hannah (Gilbert) Ayres. She married Dr. Luther Brigham (1785-1856), also from a prominent North Brookfield family and they had five children who were born between 1830 and 1838. Betsy died on October 23, 1841 and is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Chicopee, Massachusetts. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is very good condition with some very minor areas of weakness. It has been conservation mounted and stabilized and is in a dark cherry frame with a black outer bead. Sampler size: 12¼” x 10¾”

Framed size: 15½” x 14”

Price: $2800.

Hannah A. Knauer, Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1841 Samplers made in the southeastern part of the Pennsylvania generally indicate the heritage of the makers’ families through specific characteristics of their needlework. Girls from Pennsylvania German families would work samplers that indicate a strong influence of that community and those from the Quaker families generally attended Friends schools and their samplers will indicate those highly distinctive features, as well. This handsome sampler is an excellent example of cross-cultural exchange that we come across occasionally. The alphabets, the motifs, the balanced vignette of house and trees, in fact the entire composition tells us that the maker, eight-year-old Hannah A. Knauer, attended a Quaker school or was taught by a Quaker teacher, yet both the paternal and maternal sides of Hannah’s family were Pennsylvania Germans. The Knauer family in Pennsylvania began Johann Christoph Knauer (1702-1769) who was born in Coburg, Germany and who bought an initial parcel of 100 acres of land in northern Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1731, establishing Knauertown. His great-granddaughter Hannah was born in 1832 in Elverson, 7 miles away. Hannah was the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Munshower) Knauer. She died young, at age 22 and is buried nearby her parents in the East Nantmeal Baptist Cemetery in Elverson. The initials on the sampler, MAS, are likely those of her teacher. Worked in linen on linen, it is in excellent condition and retains much of its original color as evidenced by a photo taken of the reverse. It has been conservation mounted and is in a beveled maple frame with a black outer bead. Sampler size: 17¼’ x 16¾”

Framed size: 21” x 20 ½” Price: $3400.

Polly Blydenburgh, Durham, New Hampshire, 1794 This appealing 18th century sampler was made in Durham, New Hampshire, just northwest of Portsmouth and is inscribed, “Polly Blydenburgh March 7th 1794 age 10.” Polly began with alphabets and numbers and then progressed to an interesting verse that extolls the value of wisdom and knowledge, first published in Edinburgh in 1746, in a volume entitled The Polite Philosopher: Or, An Essay On That Art Which Makes a Man Happy in Himself, And Agreeable to Others. Born on March 14, 1784, Polly was the eldest of five children of Rev. John and Margaret (Smith) Blydenburgh. Her ancestors in America began with her greatgreat-grandfather, Augustin Blydenburgh who was born in the early 17th century in Holland and migrated to New Amsterdam, where he married, circa 1661. The family remained in New York for some time but John Blydenburgh (1748-1836) was born in Durham, New Hampshire. He was educated at Princeton, matriculating in 1773. Rev Blydenburgh married Margaret Smith in 1781 and they lived in a house in Durham (now in the Historic District of Durham) that he built in 1780. This house remained in the family and Polly’s sister, Margaret Blydenburgh, known for her anti-slavery advocacy, lived there until 1862. History of the Town of Durham, New Hampshire with Genealogical Notes, by Stackpole and Meserve (1913), indicates that in 1804 Polly married Stephen Boardman (1777-1840) and they resided in the nearby town of Newmarket, where they had four children. She died in 1816 and is buried, along with her husband and other family members, in the Blydenburgh plot at Old Town Cemetery in Rollinsford. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a mahogany frame with line inlay. Sampler size: 13” x 11¾” Framed size: 16¼” x 15” Price: $3600.

Eunice D. Edgar, New London, Connecticut, 1824 This is an unusually handsome and beautifully made sampler, boasting a deep geometric border fully worked in the queen’s-stitch, widely considered to be one of the most challenging of all needlework techniques. The maker, Eunice D. Edgar, states on the sampler that she was “In Her 8th Year,” which means that she was 7 years old, rendering this excellent sampler an even more impressive accomplishment. A narrow, interior octagonal border adds to the composition, nicely framing the numbers, alphabet, verse and inscription. The contained top and bottom registers feature further motifs worked in the queen’s-stitch along with the date 1824 centered at the top of the lower register. Interestingly, the four large stylized flowers that dominate the corners outside of the octagon are similar to those found on samplers made in this area of Connecticut in the mid-18th century onward. One can also admire the choice of verse stitched by Miss Edgar, which provides a perfect comparison of a beautifully made sampler to an elegant mind: When every letter with judgement is plac’d /Exactly proportioned and prettily spac’d A Samplar resembles an elegant mind / Whose passions by reason subdued and confin’d Move only in lines of affection and duty /Reflecting a picture of order and beauty Eunice Dennis Edgar was born on June 11, 1816, the daughter of Mark and Ann (Dennis) Edgar who married at Norwich in 1813. A Modern History of New London County (Lewis Historical Publishing Co, 1922) by Benjamin Tinkham Marshall discusses this family, stating that Mark Edgar (1779-1863) after an apprenticeship as a carpenter became a prominent and successful contractor and builder, responsible for many substantial buildings that remained in use throughout the city of New London. In 1838 Eunice married Benjamin F. Beckwith (1813-1890), born in East Lyme, Connecticut, and regarded to be one the most successful businessmen and merchants in New London for many years. Genealogical and Biographical Record of New London County, Connecticut (J. H. Beers & Co, 1905) informs us as to details of Mr. Beckwith and the family, stating that, “he was a man who exerted an influence quiet but still strong. His dominating characteristic was courage; when business reverses overtook him, he renewed his struggle with indomitable perseverance and succeeded in rebuilding his fortunes.” Additionally he was said to be a devoted father and husband. Eunice and Benjamin had two daughters. Eunice died on June 19, 1870 and is buried along with her husband and other family members in the Mark Edgar lot of Cedar Grove Cemetery in New London. 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 with a black bead. Sampler size: 16½” x 17½”

Framed size: 20” x 21”

Price: $5200.

Catherine Farquharson, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1833 Scottish schoolgirls produced a body of samplers distinguished for excellent needlework, strength of composition and whimsical subject matter. The majority of their samplers also feature family initials or names, adding to the overall interest and allowing for specific identification of the makers. Catherine Farquharson’s sampler is a notable example on all counts. The outstanding pictorial scene is dominated by a tree thick with foliage and bird life, including an oversized bird’s nest that is actually formed with dried moss, secured by overstitching to the sampler. The nest contains appliquéd and stuffed fabric eggs and is presided over by a sharp-eyed mother bird. On the lawn below, three pale blue sheep are looked after by a highlander and his shepherd dog. The eldest child of Andrew and Lilias Farquharson of Edinburgh, Catherine was born circa 1821. Younger sisters include Mary and Christina, whose initials are stitched near the top of the sampler along with those of her parents. In the 1841 census, Andrew was listed as a Sheriff Officer; along with family members the household included an artist and a dramatist, perhaps as boarders. Catherine remained single and died in 1896. In that record her father was described as a coffee planter. The sampler was worked in silk on wool and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in its fine original rosewood frame with a gilt liner. Sampler size: 19” x 13”

Framed size: 24½” x 18½”

Price: $4800.

Catherine Earnest, Pennsylvania, 1844 Schoolgirls from Pennsylvania continued to produce strong, pictorial samplers into the 1840s, occasionally featuring large, public buildings. Catharine Earnest’s sampler, with a wonderful church building and an outstanding border, is a praiseworthy example of this genre. The building, with its many pale blue windows, sits on a deep green, satin-stitched lawn and is flanked by tall, stately trees. Surrounding the sampler on three sides is a very unusual border - an organic vine with varied and fully-developed flowers, much of it is worked with enormous number of over-sized queen’s-stitches. The composition and execution are both excellent. Another sampler, which was called to our attention by Betty Ring many years ago, bears a great resemblance to this sampler. In 1834, Mary Ann Russel worked a sampler with the same building, pathway and lawn, the same trees and border, naming her teacher as “Hannyett Livengood, tutores.” We are hopeful that further research will identify the teacher and her pupils. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in very good condition with some areas of slight wear. It has been conservation mounted and is in a beveled maple frame with a cherry outer bead. Sampler size: 18” x 21½”

Framed size: 22”x 25½”

Price: $4700.

98 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. Brooks, Mary Uhl. Threads of Useful Learning: Westtown School Samplers. Westtown School, 2015. 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. Morven Museum & Garden. Hail Specimen of Female Art! New Jersey Schoolgirl Needlework, 1726-1860. Princeton, NJ, 2014. Parmal, 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. Schipper-van Lottum, M.G.A. Over merklappen geproken… Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Wereldbibliotheek bv, 1996. Schoelwer, Susan P. Connecticut Needlework: Women, Art, and Family, 1740-1840. Hartford, Connecticut: The Connecticut Historical Society, 2010. Staples, Kathy. Georgia’s Girlhood Embroidery: Crowned with Glory and Immortality. Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, 2015. 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.

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. q 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.

q 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.

q Supply a reverse painted black glass mat, if appropriate, done in correct

antique manner.

q Install TruVue Conservation Clear glass which blocks 97% of the harmful

ultraviolet light.

q In the framing process, the needlework is properly spaced away from the

glass, and the backing is attached with special archival tape and hardware.

(detail of sampler by Mary Smith, page 62)

(image of the reverse of sampler by Anne Raymar, page 14)