#8184                                                                                                            Mary Richmond Sampler              

Click picture for larger image

 
15 " x 14" or 18" x 17 including a painted wood frame. Mary stitched her stunning sampler with silk threads on gauze.  As near as I can tell there are about 52 threads to the inch. These stitches are incredibly tiny!  Mary was born January 27, 1810 in St. Lawrence, York, Yorkshire, England.  Her parents were William and Esther Richmond. There is an unusual floral border, two magnificent stags, florals, birds, trees, squirels and two stars. Two cherubs hold a wreath with the words "To him that over cometh will I give to sit on my throne".  She signed her sampler "Mary Richmond's work wrought at Heslington School in the twelfh year of her age and in the year of our Lord 1821".  

 

Click picture for larger image.

Her verse reads:

Eye hath not seen nor ear hath heard
What Christ hath for his saints prepared
Who conquer thro'their Savior's might
Who sink into perfection's height
And trample death beneath their feet
And gladly die their Lord to meet

Health a kind gift from heaven sent
When added to a mind content
Will every wish and want supply
And yield to love that never die
What is grandeur power  or wealth
All fleetings nothing  without health".
                                                                        

Click picture for larger image.

 

The condition of Mary's beautiful sampler is quite good. There are no holes even though the fabric is gauze. The colors of the silks are a bit faded but still lovely. Even the black in the verse has not bled, which is amazing.  The sampler has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                                                                                                         $1625

                                                                               #8185                                                                                                            Harriet Tanner Sampler              

Click picture for larger image

 Halifax, Windham County, Vermont

17 1/2" x 17" or 20" x 19 including a modern frame.  Harriet Caroline Tanner was born on September 30, 1821 in Halifax, Windham County, Vermont. She began her sampler with three different alphabets followed by her verse. She then stitched a large central basket of flowers surrounded by two smaller baskets of fruit, birds and two folliage wreaths that we associate with Quaker samplers.  She finished her needlework with a few more florals, a diamond border around three sides and a circular border along the bottom of her sampler.   
 

 

Click picture for larger image.

Her verse reads:

Jesus permit thy gracious name to stand
Worked by the efforts of my youthful hand
And while my fingers Oer the canvas moove
Engage my wayward heart to seek thy love"

She signed her needlework "Harriet Tanner Sampler  1835"

                                                                        

Click picture for larger image.

 


Harriet's sampler has a few noticeable stains but there are no holes in the fabric. The stitching in the bottom half of the needlework is still visible but it is quite faded and there is a bit of bleeding in the alphabet area.  But if you are looking for an American sampler at an affordable price, Harriet's sampler is a good one to consider.  It has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                                               $635

                                                                             #8186                                                                                                            Sarah Smith Sampler              

Click picture for larger image

 
15 1/2 " x 15" or 18 1/2" x 16 3/4 including an old wood frame.  Sarah's lovely needlework has the look of a classic antique sampler. The top features four different alphabets with lovely decorative stitch dividing bands between each row. She added a row of classic strawberries, and a large house surrounded by florals. There is also a lovely large basket of strawberries. But these are not just ordinary strawberries. All of the strawberries are worked in solid queen stitch.  They are gorgeous.  And the queen stitch is used repeatedly even including several rows along the bottom border. There are many different stitches used to add dimension. The two elegant side floral borders add interest and seem to "pop" when you look at the sampler.  It is lovely!

 

Click picture for larger image.

She signed her piece "Sarah Smith Sampler age 12 ..."  Sarah's sampler is what we refer to as a "vanity sampler". What that means is that she went back later when she was older and picked out the date that she had stitched, so that her age would not show.  But the sampler had a hand written label on the back that dated the piece 1829. It also gave us her married name which was Sarah Ferguson. It was written by Sarah's great great niece.
                                                                        

Click picture for larger image.

 
There are some issues to the condition of Sarah's lovely sam- pler. The first one is that there are four holes, one quite large. It is on top of the roof of the house. It has been repaired, but not well.  The second small hole is where she picked out the date and the third one to the left of the house. The last one is at the end of the third line of alphabet.  The sampler has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          $400

                                                                             #8167                                                                                                            Mary Ann Townsend Sampler              

Click picture for larger image

 

12 1/2 " x 16 1/2" or 17" x 21 including a vintage wood frame with a gilt liner. Mary Ann's beautiful sampler is a symphony of florals. Using silks in lovely shades of gold and peach, she stitched bouquet after bouquet of stunning flowers, and then surrounded her lovely garden with a border of yet more flowers. There are tulips lilies, carnations and many more.  

She signed her sampler, "Mary Ann Townsend Finished June 8th  1839  Aged 9 Years". 


 



 

Click picture for larger image.

Her verse reads:

O God my inmost soul convert
And deeply on my youthful heart
Eternal things impress.
Give me to feel their solemn weight
And save me ere it be too late.
Wake me to righteousness."

                                                                        

Click picture for larger image.

 



Mary Ann's lovely sampler does have some fairly large holes in the fabric along the bottom border, and in the bottom half of the right border.  Amazingly, these holes do not affect the stitching at all.  The stitching is all still intact. The backing camoflages the holes quite well. The colors are  vibrant and the silks are still showing their sheen. The sampler has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                                                                                                              $765

                                                                               #8181B                                                                                                           Canvaswork Embroidery               

Click picture for larger image

 
|
15" x 20 1/4" or 20" x 25 1/4 including a 19th century birds eye maple frame with a gilt liner. This very special embroidered panel is circa 1650. The lovely pastoral scene features a shepherd and shepherdess with their flock of sheep amid florals and  foliage with a country manor house in the background. As is usual with these very early pieces, the people and the animals are quite realistic. I find the splashes of red to be quite charm- ing. The shepherd has a red hatband and the shepherdess has a red shoe. The house has red windows.


  

Click picture for larger image.

The piece is stitched with wool on linen.  As all four edges have been cut, this panel was probably cut from a larger work, such as valance or a hanging panel.  But as you can see it is quite lovely in its 19th century frame. 

 
                                                                        

Click picture for larger image.

 


The back side of the needlework shows several repairs as well as the remains of glue and paper on some of the fabric edges. Surprisingly, the repairs don't show much on the front of the piece.  The canvaswork has been wet-cleaned with a solution of Orvis paste according to textile conservation guidelines.  It has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                                                                          $1200