#6973                                                                                                          Friendship Basket              

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The bottom panel measures 4 3/4 " at its widest point. The diameter of the basket when assembled is approx. 7 1/2". The height of the basket when assembled measures 2 1/4" not including the handle.  In my pictures I show the basket unassembled as I didn't want to put any wear on the silk ribbon ties.  This wonderful piece of needlework history is amazingly rare.  I have certainly never seen another one.   The florals on the basket are done in tiny beads while the foliage appears to have been painted on the silk.   Each panel and the handle for the basket are edged in a very heavy gilt paper.   I have to say it again - this piece is exceptionally rare.

                                                                                                                

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This amazing basket is circa 1820 - 1830 and was apparently made as a farewell gift for a girl named Julia, by her teacher and schoolmates at the Edgeworth Seminary. On the back of each of the floral panels is a hand written message to Julia from one of the girls.  On the back of the center panel is a message from her teacher which reads:  "Accept this my beloved Julia from your sincerely attached and affectionate   M. S. Waters  Edgeworth Seminary".                                                                                                

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This is such a sentimental and special memento of a young girl 's time spent at a boarding school in the early 19th century. Jaqueline Holdsworth has a modern day version of this project on her wonderful website (www.needleprint.com). The condition of the basket is amazingly good.  The silk ribbons show lots of creases and folds, but no obvious weakness.  There is one very tinly hole on one of the silk panels  and a bit of soil on the back signature areas but the basket is showing very little wear.                                          .                                                                                                                                                                                         $1250.00

                                                                             #6982                                                                                                      Mary Ann Rix Sampler              

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12 3/4 " x 16 3/4".    17 " x 21 " including a modern frame.   Mary Ann's stunning sampler is absolutely filled with unusual motifs and 19th century high fashion.  The lady with the hoop skirt and feathers in her hair is one of the most wonderful figures I have ever seen on a sampler.   Her skirt is gorgeous!  It is worked in chain stitch, stem stitch and satin stitch.  Wow!   The other smaller lady between the two buildings is also beautifully dressed and is wearing feathers in her hair as well.   Even the cherubs on either side of the verse are very well dressed.   There are also two little men riding what appear to be dogs.   I'm guessing that Mary Ann was more interested in fashion than she was in horses.   There are trees, rabbits, stags, birds and Adam & Eve standing under the tree of life.   In other words, this sam- pler has everything!
Her verse reads:                                                                  

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"The first fruits of my Labours As tis meet,
My God I humbly offer at thy feet.
But an offering so mean and poor,
Lord find admittance at thy Temple door.
Oh! Please my soul with wisdom to inspire
And Kindle in my Breast celestial fire.
So may my A,B,C, thy praise recite,
And eke my Needle may thy praises write.
Preserved from sloth the bane of all that's Fine,
May all my actions in thy praises Join."

She signed her sampler "Mary Ann Rix".                                                                                                 

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Mary Ann's wonderful sampler has been mounted on another piece of linen.  And because this piece of linen is almost exactly the same color as the original linen, most of the holes are very well camoflaged.  But there are quite a few holes.   The most noticable one is between the two chimneys on the brick house. But the holes do not disturb the stitching.   There is also a bit of bleeding in the bottom quarter of the sampler.                                                                                                                      $2595.00

                                                                             #6968                                                                                                      Eliza James Sampler               

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12 1/2 " x 16 1/2".    18 " x 22 " including the original frame. Eliza's very artistic sampler features a gorgeous rendition of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.  It's quite realistic and very beauti- fully stitched.  The florals surrounding the cathedral are also quite nice.  It's almost as if the sampler is made up of borders inside of borders, inside of borders.  It has a striking appear- ance which draws the eye into the center of the sampler which of course, features the stunning church.  Realistic architecture is fairly rare in samplers and a lovely example like this one is highly prized. 

Eliza (Elizabeth) James was christened on December 14, 1817 in Holcombe, Somerset, England.  She was one of six children of Elizabeth Cottle and Francis James.

 
Her verse reads:  

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"If all mankind would
Live in mutual love
This world would much
Resemble that above"

She signed her sampler "Eliza James April 24th, 1828   Work'd at Mrs. Atton's School  Holcombe".                                                                                                  

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The  condition of Eliza's lovely sampler is very good.   There are a few very small holes between the right outer border and the first floral border.  But there are no other problems to the condition.  There are no stains, no bleeding and the colors of the silks are quite vibrant. The sampler has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                         $2675.00

                                                                             #6966                                                                                                      Mary Main Sampler               

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12 " x 13 1/4".    16 1/4 " x 18 " including a lovely 19th century maple frame. Mary's delightful sampler features the alphabets, numbers and dividing floral bands that we expect to see on a 19th century piece of needlework, but so much more.  The wooded scene at the bottom of the sampler actually reminds me of a Disney forrest.   It is absolutely charming.  There is a small fantasy-type castle complete with flags or banners blowing in the breeze.  The castle is surrounded with wonderful trees and florals that almost seem to be protecting the castle.  The only thing missing from the scene is a princess strolling out the door with a basket of apples.   Mary's sampler is truly a wonderful, whimsical work of art.
 

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According to geneological records, Mary Main was born on September 5 in either 1793 or 1794 in the town of Ancroft, Durham England.  Her parents were Margory Johnston and Richard Main.  Although the sampler is English, it has a de- cidedly Scottish look to it.   When I checked a map I dis- covered that Ancroft is indeed, very close to the Scottish border so Mary was definitely influenced by the  needle- work being done in Scotland at that time. 

She signed her sampler " Ancroft  August 3, 1803  Mary Main".                                                                                               

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There are a few holes in Mary's charming sampler.  But it has been backed by another piece of linen so the holes are not obvious.   Most of the holes are in the bottom border and signature areas. There are also a couple of holes in the alphabet area and just above the large pansy band near the middle.  But the colors are strong and there is very little thread loss. The sampler has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                                                 $2800.00

                                                                             #6969                                                                                                    Sarah Letetia Dobson Sampler               

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12 3/4 " x 12 3/4".    15 " x 15 " including a vintage beaded frame. Sarah worked a very balanced, very well stitched sampler  She began with an alphabet done in algerian eyelet stitch.  Next she worked an absolutely lovely honeysuckle vine band.  Keeping her sampler perfectly balanced, she stitched her verse with a beautiful fruit tree on either side.  The cartouche with her signature and age is also quite lovely with the two urns of flowers on either side.   Finally, she surrounded her sampler with a vibrant strawberry border.  Sarah's beautiful sampler is a testament to her teacher's quest for perfection and balance, both in design and workmanship.  

 Her verse reads: 

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"To tell the Saviour all my wants,
How pleasing is the task.
Nor less to praise him when he grants
Beyond what I can ask."

She signed her sampler "Sarah Letetia Dobson  Age 9 Years".                                                                                                 

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The  colors of the silks are still quite vibrant and there are only two holes - one located just above the right tree, and one very tiny one in the top left corner of the border.  There is also some bleeding along the bottom border. The frame is showing some wear and is missing some beading. The sampler has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                           $950.00

                                                                             #6970                                                                                                      E. Bird Needlework              

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13 1/2 " x 14".    17 1/4 " x 17 3/4 " including a period bird's eye maple frame. This beautiful needlework is a wonderful representation of a peahen (the female version of a peacock).  She perches majestically on a branch of a tree and is surrounded by more branches.  There is a great deal of depth and dimen- sion to the needlework because it was worked using both silk and chenille.  Chenille is a much thicker fiber than silk so it gives the picture that added depth.  Both the silks and the chenille still retain their wonderful sheen. 

 
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Our stitcher surrounds the bird with lovely scrolls along the top and sides of the picture, as well as florals added in the two bottom corners.  Her finishing touch is a delicate cartouche surrounding her name.  She signed her sampler   " 1812   E. Bird   Aged 11".

I think that it is absolutely wonderful that an 11 year old little girl with a family name of "Bird" chose to stitch a portrait of a lovely bird.   Sometimes you choose a piece for the motifs or for the verse, but this is the first time I have ever chosen a needlework for the girl's name!                                                                                                 

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This needlework picture is in very good condition.   The colors are vivid and quite beautiful.  There is one hole just under the top left scroll and a bit of deterioration to the bottom right edge of the fabric.   But there are no thread losses and no bleeding.  The needlework has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                          $1850.00

                                                                             #6971                                                                                        Jane Davidson Family Register Sampler
                           Windham Township, Rockingham, New Hampshire                            

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16 " x 17 1/4".    18 1/2" x 19 3/4 " including possibly the ori- ginal gilt frame.  Jane's beautiful sampler is a stunning example of an American Family Register.  This group of samplers is fam- ous for their spectacular floral borders and Jane's sampler is certainly no exception.  She stitched two wonderful diamond patterned cornucopias filled with gorgeous florals growing up the sides and across the top of the piece.   And an absolutely won- derful addition is the lovely scene at the bottom of the sampler.  Perhaps one of those houses is the house that Jane grew up in.   Jane was born on December 7, 1808 in Windham Township, Rockingham County, New Hampshire.  Her sampler depicts the Family Register of Deacon William Davidson (1761- 1839), his wife Jane Barnet (1765-1832) and their 8 children.
  

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Her verse reads:

" The genealogy of Jane Davidson wrought 1821.
What nothing earthly gives, or can destroy
The soul's calm sunshine and the heart felt joy
Is virtues's prize."

We have an exceptional amount of provenance on this lovely sampler.   We also have a wonderful hand colored fraktur with all of the same names and dates as the sampler.   It measures 9 1/2" x 11 3/4" in its painted wood frame.   In addition we have five early 19th century handwritten letters or notes, three of which pertain to two of William's daugh- ters'qualifications to teach school at the Pinkerton Academy in Derry, New Hampshire.
                                                                                                  

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There is some obvious staining along the left side of the sam- pler as well as a bit of darkening in the top right corner of the piece.   And there is some thread loss, primarily in the verse area.  The verse is not entirely legible, but I was able to read enough to identify the quote by Alexander Pope.  But there are no holes in the fabric and the colors of the silk are still vibrant.   The sampler has been backed with another piece of linen and mounted on acid-free board.

The fraktur also shows a bit of staining, but the colors are still lovely.  The names and dates have faded a bit but are defin- itely legible.   The fraktur has also been mounted on acid-free board.   This sampler comes with a notebook of family letters and notes.                                                                                                                           $5800.00