Mary Cadwallader

The Cadwallader family of Philadelphia, beginning with John Cadwallader who emigrated from Wales in 1697, is one of the most distinguished families in the early history of America. Children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were prominent citizens of Quaker Philadelphia, contributing greatly to the life of the city. Cadwalladers founded libraries, hospitals and learned societies and were elected or appointed to the city council, the state assembly, the Continental Congress, the Constitutional Convention and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

This is a fine and well made Quaker alphabet and motif sampler made by Mary Cadwallader in 1836. Six renditions of the alphabet and one numerical progression fill much of the sampler and the majority of the lettering is in the classic Quaker block style.

Alphabets of this type were taught to samplermakers in the 18th century at the Ackworth School in Yorkshire, England and then at the Westtown School in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Many young ladies who attended at Westtown became teachers themselves and disseminated this type of Quaker lettering as well as other pictorial motifs, specifically seen in the flowers, birds and baskets of Mary's sampler.

The very appealing two-line couplet, “Will the labour of this page / Yield me comfort in old age,” is one that we have not seen on a sampler previously. We find it interesting to note the use of the word “page” to indicate the linen.

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