Current Selections

All samplers in our current selections are priced and available for sale. Read about their specific history, condition and research here.

Sampler Price Index

| Birds & Rings | | Sanger | | Shead |

Nancy Abbet, Instructress Susan Grout, Grafton, Massachusetts, 1803 ...free-form flowers springing from a basket, flowers tied with bow-knots and sprightly blossoms and buds decorating the border.

Mary Chamberlain Adams, Utica, New York, 1834 ...Mary's maternal grandfather, Hon. John Curtis Chamberlain (1772-1834), represented New Hampshire in the United States Congress.

ASF, German sampler, dated 1766 Samplers made in the middle of the 18th century in northern Europe can offer interesting pictorial subjects arranged in pleasing compositions and executed in a fine vocabulary of stitches.

Julia Margaret Bachman, Charleston, South Carolina, 1833 We are privileged to offer this highly rare and very interesting sampler, worked by Julia Margaret Bachman when she was seven years old, in 1833.

Charlotte Baker, Franklin, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts, 1822 Made in 1822 by Charlotte Baker, this stunning family register sampler is in its outstanding original carved walnut frame.

Henrietta Salara Baker, Plaistow, New Hampshire, 1823 While in Plaistow, Miss Baker worked this lovely family record…

Sarah Elizabeth Bannister, New England, circa 1820 This handsome and detailed house was rendered with a stone façade, a pitched roof and a widow's walk nested between two chimneys.

Beadwork Picture, France, circa 1830 Thousands of tiny richly-colored beads were sewn to the background fabric to form this handsome landscape scene.

Pair of Birds and Rings Silk Embroidery, Europe, circa 1820 This may have been a marriage piece as indicated by the symbolic pair of birds, interlocked rings and Greek cross.

Annie E. Blinkhorn, Royal British Girls’ School, Southampton, England, 1867 ...Annie practiced her delightful sampler with lettering in deep red…

Chamba Rumal, Himachal Pradesh, India, 19th Century Rumals have been poetically described as "images of miniature painting on fabric."

Mary E. Clark, Woodstock, New Brunswick, Canada, circa 1850 Occasionally we are fortunate enough to come across Canadian samplers…

Nancy Clark, Tewksbury, Massachusetts, 1818 ...while the family information is complete, the floral border seems to have proven to be too daunting a task and remains greatly unfinished.

Sarah Clark, Tewksbury, Massachusetts, circa 1812 Long, lustrous satin-stitches, one of the hallmarks of fine Massachusetts samplers, were used to form the large blossoms, leaves and vine; a white bow punctuates the bottom with well-placed four red buds allowing for further embellishment.

Henrietta Daniels, Glover, Orleans Co., Vermont, 1829 Vermont samplers exist in far fewer numbers that those from the other New England states and become available only rarely.

Basket of Flowers with Butterflies and Sheep, Delaware, circa 1810 ...this exuberant silk embroidered picture with its latticework basket of flowers sitting on a hill of plants, berries and miniature sheep.

Grace H. Dougal, New Haven, Connecticut, 1830 …is a footed bowl with large and varied flowers fairly springing out of it…

Dutch Motif Sampler Initialed LVG, 1786 This outstanding sampler is one of the most beautifully worked Dutch samplers we have come across in years.

Elsey Earle, under the instruction of Miss Field, Bergen County, New Jersey, 1806 Adam and Eve samplers were rarely made by American schoolgirls…

Mary Ann Egee, New Jersey or Pennsylvania, 1830 ...splendid large pictorial sampler features a double-chimney brick house flanked by curly-tailed dogs on a deep green lawn.

Pictorial English sampler, circa 1810 Unlike most English samplers we find, which are precise and symmetrical, this is a delightfully folky sampler with a wonderful landscape across the bottom.

Maria Fondersmith, Pennsylvania, circa 1825 This small sampler features one of the loveliest borders we have come across and an equally appealing verse.

Rebecca C. Fritts, Nine Partners School, Dutchess Co., New York, 1826 Rebecca's fine and precisely stitched sampler features a verse entitled "Religion" and surrounded by a curvilinear border of leaves and buds…

Charlotte Frye, Andover, Massachusetts, 1811 A hilly lawn forms the base for little trees and potted plants and flowers with splendid blossoms on vines growing out of a pair of baskets and forming the side borders.

Geffroy Family Print-work Silk Embroidery, Mary Balch School, Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1818 Amongst the excellent silk embroideries worked at the Balch School in Providence, Rhode Island is a group of print-work memorials, worked between 1810 and 1820.

Unfinished Motif sampler, Germany, circa 1770 ...a finely worked, unfinished German sampler, made circa 1770 and exhibiting a wonderful polychrome palette.

Louisa Caroline Green, Triangle, Broome Co., New York, 1835 ...charming sampler is a practice piece in many ways, specifically the repetition within the alphabets and the random nature of the many folky motifs and designs.

Minerva E. Hardy, Lunenburg, Virginia, 1825 Far fewer samplers were made in Virginia than in the northern states and we are pleased to offer this significant and recently discovered family record sampler from Lunenburg County, southern Virginia.

Mary Ann Harrison, Pennsylvania, 1827 ...excellent quality needlework, a well-developed pictorial register, outstanding horizontal bands and a highly appealing aphorism: "Industry is itself a treasure."

Highland Scene Silk Embroidery, Scotland, circa 1830 ...a large and beautifully worked sentimental scene set in the Scottish highlands, complete with a bagpiper, a young couple and a pair of cherubic children, all of them dressed in classic attire of the highlands.

Hannah Hocknell, England, 1832 A desirable element of many samplers is a depiction of Adam and Eve at the apple tree with the serpent.

Sarah Holl, England, 1805 Lavish use of the eyelet stitch attests to the maker's aptitude in the needle arts and adds to the appeal of this antique sampler, which is reminiscent of the fine work that had appeared on sophisticated English samplers for centuries at that point.

Mary Howe, England, 1832 Mary Howe worked her sampler in 1832; a handsome pictorial piece featuring a large 16th century manor house on a sloping lawn.

Lydia Ann Ingham, Essex, Connecticut, 1830 This house is depicted differently than many as it seems that Lydia tried to incorporate a three-quarter view into a frontal view, as is evident at the left side of the house.

Motif Sampler, Italy, circa 1820 …four-story house, trees, stuffed baskets, a variety of birds, a cradle and religious motifs…

“John and Ellin” Ship sampler, England, circa 1825 The Register of Shipping, published yearly in London by the Society for the Registry of Shipping indicates that the "John and Ellin" (or Ellen) was built in Sunderland and sailed from 1822 until 1829.

Charlotte John, Regent Town, Sierra Leone, 1843 A handful of samplers are known to have been made at the missionary schools that were established in Sierra Leone, on the west coast of Africa.

Kandy School Missionary Sampler, Ceylon, 1884 The fascinating samplers made by the young girls at these schools exist, but are quite rare and we offer this example, a recent discovery and addition to the known body of work.

Ann Kitching, Ackworth School, England, 1822 ...handsome marking sampler was made at the Ackworth School in Yorkshire, the legendary Quaker boarding school that was established in 1779 and educated many generations of Quaker schoolchildren.

Sophie Letailleur, France, 1848 Included are depictions of a sailing ship, a large dog at a tree with a bird, vases of flowers and other large and colorful birds on branches.

Sally G. Lovejoy, Wilton, New Hampshire, circa 1810 ...very delicately worked little sampler was made by Sally G. Lovejoy, who states on it that she was born March 10 of 1801.

Sarah Martin, Ormskirk, England, 1830 ...a noteworthy verse entitled "Inscription on a Sundial." The verse was written by Nathaniel Cotton (1705-1788) and published in 1791.

Eliza Ellen McIntire, Mrs. S. B. Bowen’s School, White River, Randolph County, Indiana, 1836 Eleven-year-old Eliza Ellen McIntire stitched this highly important sampler while attending Mrs. S. B. Bowen's School in the town of White River, in Randolph County…

Hannah Merrell, Barkhamsted, Litchfield Co., Connecticut, 1829 Hannah Merrell states on her fine sampler that she was born April 21st 1819, and that she made it in 1829 in Barkhamsted.

Julia Naden, American or English, 1837 "Piety and virtue are particularly graceful and becoming in all."

Sarah Parker, Depiction of the Massachusetts State House, Pepperell, Massachusetts, 1811 ...the Massachusetts State House, found on this remarkable sampler, is not known to have been depicted on any other sampler or silk embroidery.

Sarah Parker, Massachusetts, 1799 ...sampler fits into the tradition of 18th century samplers made in the towns of coastal northern Massachusetts, with little hillocks of plants and trees and deeply arcaded borders.

"Memen to Mori" silk embroidery, Moses and Elizabeth Peck, Boston, Massachusetts, circa 1810 The classical lines of Federal design of the period form the black and white monument which is surmounted by a large flame-top urn.

Pennsylvania German Sampler dated 1820, Warwick, Lancaster County, PA …samplers made by Mennonites from the Warwick area of Lancaster County, north of the city of Lancaster, share strong regional characteristics and the specific elements that appear on this finely worked 1820 example.

Les Pensionnaires Pieuse, France, circa 1820 This splendid silk embroidered picture depicts "The Pious Pensioners," a young lady and a girl in an outdoor setting, with a little shrine set up in a tree.

Pocketbook, European, late 18th century Delicate pocketbook bears the German inscription "A memento of our friendship," inscribed on a cottage, reminding us that pocket books were often gifts of affection.

Pocketbook with silver point and paper, European, circa 1790 Gold metallic threads form the background for the woven architectural motifs. One side depicts a grand cathedral and the other a brick-walled farm....

Pole Screen, Scottish, circa 1840 ...this lovely tabletop pole screen with a needlework picture of a highlander: a young Scottish boy with his staff and shield and a feather in his cap.

Punched Paper, worked to celebrate Geo. Washington, American, circa 1875 ...celebrate the life and accomplishments of George Washington.

Postrema Ridgway, Burlington Co., NJ, 1805 …splendid small pictorial sampler boasts excellent composition and outstanding needlework. It was made by nine-year-old Postrema Ridgway who was a Quaker girl…

Sablé Beadwork, Coat of Arms, France, circa 1750 "Sablé" is the French word for "sand" and was used to describe the mid 18th century technique of stitching extremely fine glass beads to form a picture...

Eliza Sanger, Newton Academy, Mass., 1805 While the school has been known to scholars and historians, this is the only sampler known to have been made at the Newton Academy.

Mary Ann Shead, “The Great Exhibition”, High Laver, Essex, England, 1854 Mary Ann Shead stitched her outstanding rendition of the Crystal Palace in 1854, just three years later than The Great Exhibition of All Nations, for which this building was erected.

Cynthia Smith, Haverford, Pennsylvania, 1830 The influence of 18th century Philadelphia sampler design is evident in the compartmental composition…

Elizabeth Stanford, probably Scottish, circa 1790 Scottish schoolteachers frequently held their students to high standards and their samplers are wonderful indicators.

Stanwood Family Silk Embroidered Memorial, Massachusetts or New York, circa 1805 The death of George Washington in December of 1799 sparked a national vogue for public mourning that endured for decades.

Abigail Staples, Prospect, Maine, 1841 Worked in Prospect, Maine, this is a handsome horizontal format sampler made by Abigail Staples, who was 12 years and 9 months old in 1841.

Fine and Rare Nantucket Miniature Memorial Quaker Sampler to Lucretia Starbuck, circa 1812 This is a very delicate and unusual miniature sampler made in memory of a three-year-old by one of her older sisters.

Maria L. Stauffer, Lancaster Co. Pennsylvania, 1867 Decorative arts made by the Pennsylvania Germans display their love of strong color and composition.

Isabella Taylor, Birmingham, England, 1783 a fine sampler made by Isabella Taylor of Birmingham, England who used Roman Numerals to indicate the year the sampler was made

Elma M. Tripp, Washington, Dutchess County, New York, 1830 This sampler shows strong influence from the Quaker teaching in this area…

Chloe W. Waite, Hubbardston, Mass., 1816 Chloe's schoolgirl sampler evidences skill and great charm, with alphabets and a detailed scene of a large double-chimney brick house flanked by trees and flowers and a wrought-iron fence.

Kitty Waterman, England, 1804 One of the skills that young needleworkers were taught was whitework darning, which would hold obviously practical, life-long applications.

Mary Winney, Scottish or American, 1804 The work itself is quite handsome. A wide array of decorative bands is interspersed with alphabets, and Miss Winney certainly practiced her eyelet stitch with perfection.

Eliza Woods, Pettigo School, Ireland, 1849 Pettigo is a very small coastal town in Northern Ireland, located 15 miles southeast of Donegal.

Ann Wright, England, 1840 ...which features an unusual and detailed rendition of a church with a clock tower.

Silk Embroidery of Zebras, Continental, circa 1820 The subject matter of this beautifully worked silk embroidered picture is most appealing: two zebras recline next to a thatched roof structure amidst lush and exotic foliage.

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Other Ways to View Our Samplers

Our inventory is extensive, and many items are not offered here. You can see these samplers in the following way:

• in SAMPLINGS,
  our print catalogue,
• at our shop, and
• at the antiques shows in which we exhibit.

Special Requests

Through our sources, we can often locate the sampler that you are looking for. Perhaps you are seeking a sampler with a particular family name, or a sampler from a certain town or geographic location. Let us know and we will inform you when we find it. Please call us to discuss your wants or collecting objectives; you will find us knowledgeable and helpful.

SAMPLINGS - The Print Catalogue

SAMPLINGS is our full color catalogue that is mailed twice a year, and each issue offers approximately 40 antique samplers and needlework items, pictured, fully described and priced. The annual subscription is $45 for two issues. Find out how to subscribe now!