Sarah Ann Westcott,
Cumberland County, New Jersey,
1839

Sampler size:
17¾" x 16¼"

Price: $sold

Enlarged and Printer Version

A group of sophisticated, beautifully-made samplers, each with strong family documentation, comes from the area of Fairfield Township, Cumberland County, New Jersey. We have owned some of these fine samplers and have known of others that are in private or public collections, notably that of the DAR Museum in Washington and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. These samplers were made over a long period of time and indicate that a teacher of great skill worked for approximately 35 years during the early 19th century. This area of southern New Jersey was populated by prosperous farmers, lumbermen, shipbuilders and sea captains. Excellent iron furnaces, glass houses and fisheries produced goods for the growing consumer class and so it is not surprising that the daughters of these illustrious citizens were well educated.

Sarah Ann Westcott's sampler is an excellent example which represents the best characteristics of this group: the composition and execution are excellent, the vocabulary of stitches is strong and the samplermakers included inscriptions as to births and other family statistics. All of the samplers include an upper portion of alphabets and family initials, with religious verse and compartmented motifs in the lower portions. It is likely that the girls' teacher was from Philadelphia as these characteristics have their origins in 18th century Philadelphia samplers. The samplermakers surrounded these compartments with zigzag borders worked in the queen's-stitch and their entire samplers with strawberries worked in the same technique. Their teacher must have been quite the taskmaster, as all of the inscriptions are letter-perfect. These samplers form a highly interesting and cohesive group and it is hoped that the schoolmistress responsible for their instruction will become known.

Extensive genealogical information, including photocopies of many original documents, accompanies this sampler as the records from this area are excellent. Sarah Ann Westcott was the daughter of John Bunyan Westcott and Elizabeth (Parvin) Westcott of Millville, Cumberland County. She made this sampler "in the 13th year of her age" which indicates that she was 12 years old. Inscriptions on the sampler also include the birth dates of Sarah's parents: her father, John B. Westcott in 1806 and her mother Elizabeth Parvin Westcott in 1804, as well as the death of her mother in 1830. In 1851, she married Timothy Downham, an oysterman and they lived in nearby Cedarville where they had at least one child, a son named Charles born in 1854. After the death of her husband, Sarah married Timothy Downam and they had a son, Charles in 1852. After the death of Timothy, Sarah married David Young, a shoemaker, also from Cumberland County. Sarah died after 1884 having lived her life in southern New Jersey.

The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a maple and cherry cornerblock frame.

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