Emma Sophia Major
Miniature Sampler,
Dorset, England, 1843
new
sampler size: 6½" x 5¾" •
framed size: 8¼" x 7¼" •
price:
$800
An endearing little sampler, this was made by 10-year-old Emma Sophia Major in 1843. We love that she used the alphabet and a numerical progression, with a little heart at the end, as a border.
Emma was the daughter of John and Sarah Major, born in 1833 in Loders, a tiny village near the English Channel, about 20 miles west of Dorset. She was baptized on September 15 of that year. Sadly, she died at age 19 in 1853 and is buried along with family members in St. Mary Magdalene Churchyard in Loders.
Worked in very fine silk on wool, the sampler is in very good condition with areas of loss, weakness and slight darkening to the wool. It has been conservation mounted and is in a 19th century oak frame.