#6378                                                                                                      Mary Bradshaw Sampler
                                                  

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16 1/4" x 18 1/2".   22 1/2" x 24 1/2 " including a period  frame.   This is perhaps one of the most charming samplers that I have ever been able to offer.  In the bottom corners of the sampler, Mary has stitched and labeled a "Swiss Boy" and a  "Swiss Girl".  They both wear hats with feathers and are costumed in a very interesting manner.   The boy looks like a pirate while the girl is wearing a turbin.   But what is particularly charming is that it is the girl who is smoking a pipe!   So at the age of 11 in 1844 maybe Mary was the world's first woman's libber!

Mary's sampler also features lots of other wonderfully realistic motifs including birds, florals, baskets of fruit, two really nice seated dogs and two truly beautiful angels. 

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Mary also added a lovely verse which reads:

" Boast not thyself of to-morrow
for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth".

She signed her beautiful sampler " Mary Bradshaw's Work Aged 11 Years  1844".                                                                                                                                                         

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There is an overall darkening to Mary's sampler.   But there are no holes in the fabric and no losses to the silk.  The colors are still quite vibrant in spite of the darkening to the fabric.  So the sampler is still in good condition.                                                                                                                                                                           $1150

                                                                         #6869                                                                                                  Werter Memorial Embroidery
                                            

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12 " x 14"    18 " x 19 3/4 " including a modern oval frame.   Often, needlework of the 18th and 19th centuries was inspired by paintings, poems or books of the time, as is the case with this unusual piece.   The Sorrows of Werter by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was originally published in Germany in 1774.  The English translation was published in 1779.   This very special memorial embroidery was inspired by that book.   And what I find to be absolutely amazing is the fact that this lovely piece was stitched on blue felt.   The monument, and the lady's clothes and hat are appliqued pieces of felt, while her face is painted on paper. The remainder of the piece is stitched with silk.     
  

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The verse on the monument reads:

" Oh!  May the interventions of Charlotte
plead for the decay of Reason in Werter".

The top of the monument shows the name of Werter.  The young lady holds a prayer book and wears a lovely bonnet and a black cape.  The scene is surrounded with willow trees.   The embroidery is circa 1800 - 1820.                                                                                                       

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There are some holes in the felt, mostly near the tree trunk on the right.   There are also a couple of small holes near the top of the monument.   But there is very little thread loss and very little damage to the actual stitching.   This is a wonderful example of how important needlework was to a young girl's education.   The embroidery  has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                                           $945