#6378                                                                                                      Mary Bradshaw Sampler
                                                  

Click picture for larger image

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. 

Click picture for larger image.

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".                                                                                                                                                         

Click picture for larger image.

                   

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
                                            

Click here for larger image

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.     
  

Click here for larger image.

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.                                                                                                       

Click here for larger image.

 

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

 #6213 - Map Sampler

Click here for larger image

19 1/2" x 22 ".    12 1/2" x 262 " including old gilded frame (probably the origianl).   This beautiful map sampler shows a detailed rendition of England as well as the edges of Scot- land and Ireland.  It features a stunning floral border and a depiction of Britannia seated next to a cornucopia.  The workmanship on the border and on Britannia is wonderful, as are the colors and the sheen of the silks.  Also depicted are " The Irish Sea, St. George's Channel, the English Channel, the Straits of Dover and the German Ocean".          

Click here for larger image.

                                                                                                                                                                                                      It is stitched with silk on silk, and as silk is not the most durable of fabrics, there is a fair amount of damage to the fabric.  Most of the damage is around the perimeter of the sampler, but there are     four noticable damaged areas in the body of the sampler.                                                           These are clearly visable in the pictures.                          

Click here for larger image.

                                           

There are also two stains on the sampler - one in the upper right border area and the other just be- neath Britannia.   I believe the sampler to be circa 1840.  This is a very nice map sampler at a very affordable price.                                                                                                                                                                                    $535