Little alphabet tiles made of bone were produced in the 19^th century as teaching tools for children. We were offered two framed versions and enjoy the obvious graphic relationship that these have to samplers. The frames are 19^th century as well. 

This one is in a grain painted frame.

Little alphabet tiles made of bone were produced in the 19^th century as teaching tools for children. We were offered two framed versions and enjoy the obvious graphic relationship that these have to samplers. The frames are 19^th century as well. 

This one is in a black painted frame with a gilded liner.

Several groups of fine samplers were made in Newbury and Newburyport, Massachusetts, where various needlework instructresses taught local girls in the 18th and early 19th centuries. This is a handsome sampler with alphabets, a classic religious verse and an inscription framed by an excellent floral border. The border begins at the lower corners with delightful flower bunches tied with blue bowknots and a narrow sawtooth edging finishes the outer edge on three sides. 

The samplermaker was Hannah Goodrich Woodman who stitched that she was born on November 26, 1807; she would have been between age 11 and 13 when she made this. Newbury Vital Records indicate that Hannah married Elijah Paige White (1810-1855) in 1836. They lived in Georgetown, Massachusetts where Elijah was a shoemaker and farmer and they had two children. Hannah died at age 30, in 1844 and is buried in Union Cemetery in Georgetown along with her husband and two children. 

The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a late 19th century black painted oak frame.

This sampler is exceptionally appealing as the composition is quite handsome and the execution is unusually crisp. The samplermaker, Ann Wilson, stitched the finest basket of fruit we have ever seen on a sampler and even, very nicely, labeled it, “A Fruit Basket.” Other motifs and a fine horizontal band of strawberries decorate the sampler beautifully. The border is also formed with strawberries, marching around in tight formation and providing a compelling visual framework.

The sampler is American, but we can’t be certain of Ann’s genealogy as she later picked out the stiches that indicated her age when she worked the sampler – not an uncommon occurrence. The initials, IW and AW, are certainly those of her parents. 

The back of the sampler is beautifully worked, as is evident from the photo taken prior to the mounting. Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a fine, 19th century paint decorated frame. 

verso

There are a handful of exceptional samplers known that were made in New Hampshire, just near the border with Massachusetts, between 1817 and 1821. They all feature a highly appealing central scene of a lady holding a garland of flowers on a grassy lawn with lush trees and a basket of flowers. We are  delighted to offer a fine sampler from this group signed, “Mary Ann Wilder born April th 1 1806 Wrought 1817.” The needlework on these samplers is extremely fine, rendering great delicacy to the samplers. 

Betty Ring included this group, calling it the “Pictorial Samplers of Southern New Hampshire,” in Girlhood Embroidery American Samplers & Pictorial Needlework 1650 - 1850, vol I (Knopf, New York, 1993). Mary Ann Wilder’s sampler is mentioned specifically in this section. The samplermakers may have attended school in Jaffrey, the town just north of Rindge, and boarded there while at the school. 

Much information about the Wilder family is published in History of the Town of Rindge, New Hampshire 1736 – 1874 by Ezra Stearns (Boston, 1875). This branch of the family in America began with Thomas Wilder (1618-1667) who arrived in 1638 along with his widowed mother, Martha Wilder, settling in Massachusetts. We noted with interest that the husband of Laura Ingalls Wilder, renowned author,  shared this same Wilder ancestor. 

Samuel Locke Wilder (1778-1863), Mary Ann’s father, removed to Rindge, New Hampshire, when he was 16 years old, working at the store owned by his brother, Josiah. According to the published town history, Samuel became, “an influential citizen and was active in municipal and state affairs. He was a Justice of the Peace from 1816 until his death, he was Town Clerk from 1808 to 1823, state representative, 1815-1823, 28, 29, 38 and 39. He was a delegate to the Walpole Convention that elected Daniel Webster to represent New Hampshire in the famous Hartford Convention.” 

Samuel married Anna Sherwin in Rindge in 1797 and Mary Ann was born April 1, 1806, the fourth child of their nine children. In February of 1829, she married Rev. Albert B. Camp, who attended and graduated from Yale College in 1822. He was pastor of the Congregational Church of Ashby, Massachusetts. They had one child, a daughter; sadly, Mary Ann died in December 1830. She is buried in Meeting House Cemetery in Rindge. Additional information is contained in the file that accompanies the sampler.

The sampler was worked in silk on very fine linen and is in excellent condition with some very minor weakness to the linen. It has been conservation mounted and is in a mahogany frame.

A delicate and beautifully stitched sampler, this was made by Cynthia Townsend in 1814. Most remarkably, a sketch of the pictorial elements of the sampler, drawn in ink on paper, was found in back of the sampler and this sketch is now framed as well and accompanies the sampler, of course. The very precise house and lawn, in three-quarter view, and the eight delicate flower branches were stitched exactly in accordance with the drawing. While somewhat unfinished, the sampler with its accompanying sketch offers enormous appeal. 

The verse, stitched with extreme delicacy, is entitled “Ode to Peace.” It was written by the renowned British poet, William Cowper (1731-1800) and published in 1782. 

Cynthia Townsend was likely the daughter of Daniel and Millicent (Benedict) Townsend of New York state. Daniel (1759-1815) lived in Dutchess County where he served as a fifer in the Revolutionary War. Cynthia was the eighth of their nine children, born circa 1801. The family was living in Columbia County in the period that the sampler was made. Cynthia died in 1840. Genealogical research turned up only this specific candidate.

The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a molded and black painted frame. The ink sketch on paper has some areas of loss and staining, it has been archival framed and measures 12" x 11.5", framed. 

go-with

A very handsome and beautifully worked Quaker sampler, this is signed, “Julia Ann Taylor Flushing Long Island February 1st 1822.” While we don’t know what school she attended, the composition and motifs make it abundantly clear that the influence was that of the Female Association Schools, Quaker schools in New York and Flushing. The samplers made at these schools, and others that sprung from them, feature similar motifs and pictorial elements in a balanced format. Notably, the New York and Flushing school samplers included small wreaths or medallions enclosing certain significant words and we find this to be a very engaging characteristic. Julia Ann Taylor stitched “Piety” and “Peace,” and we have also seen “Amity” and “Plenty” on other of these Quaker samplers. These classic Quaker samplers offer enormous appeal.  

The color palette of this sampler is particularly good; the predominant color is a lovely teal blue with soft coral with many other colors providing further interest. 

Julia Ann may have been the daughter of John Taylor as this was the only Taylor family in that area in the first decades of the 19th century. It’s possible that further research will provide specifics. 

The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a molded and black painted frame.

We were delighted to have acquired this very appealing silk embroidery that is either American or English. In the foreground stands the classic, allegorical symbol of hope, a robed lady leaning on a large anchor. A sailing ship on wavy water and a rocky shore with a lighthouse imply the specifics regarding this hope. It is all surmounted by a banner with further indication of the theme, with a cheerful winged angel in a cloud. Notable details include what is likely a portrait miniature around the lady’s neck, her billowing shawl and large conch shells at her slippered feet. The painted faces are wonderfully expressive, with optimistic expressions.

We also admire the shaded rocky shoals with leafy greenery and the garland of leaves and buds looping around her inscription, which reads, “Febry 14 1837.” In the overall, Mary created a silk embroidery that is beautifully composed and executed.

It was worked in silk and paint on silk and is in excellent condition. It remains in its original mahogany veneer, beveled frame.

This is a highly unusual sampler - a very large and detailed depiction of a unicorn dominates the pictorial imagery. The sampler is large and the unicorn itself measures 10” in width! Because of the rarity of this subject matter, we turned to sampler scholar and researcher, Dr. Lynne Anderson, Director of the Sampler Archive, and were rewarded with much information.

“The unicorn, a mythical beast, is supposed to have magical powers and be impossible to catch without the aid of a virgin female (probably representing the Virgin Mary), to whom the unicorn is attracted. One of his magical powers is to purify water and so the unicorn can be shown next to a well, as is the case on this sampler. 

Another striking feature is the way the unicorn is standing in front of an oak tree with obvious acorns. There are many references in the Bible to oak trees - a symbol of strength and endurance, i.e. the desire for the young to grow into an adult (acorn to tree) with a strong and enduring faith in God.”

The samplermaker, Ann Romney, was 12 years old and included a variation of a classic sampler verse (with some misspellings),

“When this you se remember me and beare me in your mind let all the world say what the will speake of me as you find.”

Adam and Eve under the apple tree with a serpent wrapped around the tree trunk and a sailing ship were included along with several flower baskets and two little birds. In the overall, this is quite a rare and wonderful sampler. 

Worked in silk on linen, it is in very good condition with some minor darkening to the area near the verse and inscription. It has been conservation mounted and is in its excellent original paint decorated frame. 

photo of reverse

Samplers made in eastern Massachusetts in the 18th century are highly regarded for their depictions of free-form flowers growing from hillocks, creating compelling scenes; Anna Reed’s sampler fits squarely into this tradition. In addition, we greatly admire the design of the polychrome links that enclose her inscription. The verse, which was worked in pale beige reads, "Virtue outshines the stars outlives the tomb climbs up to heaven and finds a peaceful  home.” We found this quotation engraved as an epitaph on a number of 18th century gravestones in Taunton, Massachusetts, furthering the likelihood that the sampler was made in that area.

A photo of the sampler taken prior to mounting indicates that the coloration of the sampler remains close to the original.

The provenance of this sampler is significant as it was in the personal collection of the late Susan B. Swan, the revered, long-time Curator of Textiles at Winterthur Museum. The sampler remained in the collection of one of her sons and is now available for sale.

Here are others from Susan Swan's collection:  Mary Ann Clark, Sarah G. Hoopes, Folwell Silk Embroidery

The sampler was worked in silk on linen and it is in excellent condition, with a very stitches missing. It has been conservation mounted and is in a walnut frame. 

photo of reverse