Eleanor Ballinger

This particularly handsome sampler offers strong aesthetic appeal, in large part because much of the needlework is organic in composition and execution. The samplermaker, Eleanor Ballinger, used cross-stitches for the lettering and the very small fruit baskets - all of the other work was accomplished in excellent surface embroidery. Adding to the appeal is the fact that Eleanor was only “Ag’d 8” when she made the sampler. 

The couplet that she stitched was written by Alexander Pope (1688-1744) and had been much published in the late 18th century. 

The sampler was found in Ireland and may have been made there. Worked in silk on wool, it’s in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in an early 19th century figured maple frame.