#7015                                                                                      Mary Elizabeth Gore Commemerative Sampler   
          

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13 1/4 " x 19 1/2".    16 1/2 " x 22 1/2 " including an old wood frame with old wavy glass. Mary Elizabeth's gorgeous sampler was stitched to commemerate the rare alliance between England and France during the Crimean War. Not only was the alliance a rare one, but a sampler with this subject matter is also extremely rare.  She stitched the flags of England and France crossing over a very unique motif of a hat, which features the English style on one side, and the French style on the other.  She added a classic symbol of unity, the clasping hands. And then she surrounded all of this wonderful symbolism with the words, "God save the Queen  may they ever be united   Vive L'Empereur".  

In addition to being very rare, her sampler is also very beautiful.  She sitched a wonderland of forrest animals below including birds, stags, dogs, plants, trees and flowers all standing on a stunning layered hillside. The trees, worked in many different stitches are very special.
                                          

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Her verse reads:

"Tis religion that can give
sweetest pleasures while we live
Tis religion must supply
solid comfort when we die".

She signed her sampler "Mary Eliz th Gore Aged 11 years  1856".
                                      
 

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Mary Elizabeth's sampler is in good condition.   It does have several holes in the fabric, however most of the holes are in the area outside of the stitching. The only holes within the stitching area are in the top right border, the 7th strawberry down on the left border, and and along the bottom edge of the stitching.   The colors are vivid and there are no thread losses.  It has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                                                                 $1950.00                                                      

                                                                             #7013                                                                                                        Perpetual Calender   
          

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15 1/2 " x 19"     18 " x 22 1/4 " including a modern frame. I have truly never seen anything like this very clever perpetual calender.  The twelve months of the year are stitched on approximately 3 inch diameter circle discs, which of course can be switched around as the months pass.   The days of the week are there as well as the year. Sixteen more numbers and four more blank squares are attached to the back of the piece.  The calender is edged in lace.

                                          

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Surprisingly, the discs are attached with glue rather than tacked on with stitches. I would have expected them to be stitched on.   Because of the extra numbers attached on the back of the piece, it has been framed with glass on both sides of the calender. I would estimate this calender to be late 19th century or early 20th century. The current year attached to the calender is 1866, but I doubt that it is quite that old.
                                      
 

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The condition of this unusual piece is very good.  It appears that all of the moving pieces are still there and the calender is showing no losses that I can see.  There are a couple of small stains, but nothing that detracts very much from the look of the piece. I cannot see any sign that the gluing has caused any deterioration.   While this calender is not terribly old, it is charming and very, very unique.                                                                                                            $675.00                                                    

                                                                             #7016                                                                                                    Elizabeth Howard Sampler   
          

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19 1/2 " x 17 1/2".    25 1/2 " x 23 " including an old gilt frame. Elizabeth's stunning needlework has to be one of the most beau- tiful pictoral samplers I have ever seen.  She didn't just create a very realistic picture, she created a serene and peaceful mood, which is something we seldom see in needlework.  It's as if she was using a canvas and a palette of paints.  Elizabeth used many different stitches and fibers to create her gorgeous work of art.

There are two people in a small boat floating past an incredibly beautiful church up on a hill. The trees are worked with an amazing amount of texture, as is the hillside. Elizabeth succeeds in making you feel as if you are a part of the beautiful pastoral scene she has painted. This needlework actually does feels as if it is a painting.
                                          

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Her verse reads:

"RESIGNATION

Shall he not then thy guardian be
will not his aid extend to thee
Oh safely mayest thou rest
Trust in his love
and e'en should pain should sorrow tempt thee to complain
know what he wills is best".

She signed her sampler " Elizabeth Howard Aged 11  1843".
                                        

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There are no holes in the fabric and the colors are still strong and vibrant, but there is an overall darkening to the sampler. In the top right corner of the scene, there are a couple of broken threads and there are a few more broken threads in the water area.  In the water area it's more a case of the threads looking a bit fuzzy, rather than broken. The sampler is in overall very good condition.                                                                                                         $3800.00                                                      

                                                                             #6873                                                                                                  Emily Bradbury Sampler
                                               Manlius County, Ohio    

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19 1/2 " x 18 3/4".    22 1/2 " x 21 " including original wood frame with old wavy glass. Emily's stunning sampler features something we very seldom see on a sampler. There is a gorgeous and very realistic eagle underneath the words "E Pluribus Unum".  The eagle sits on top of what once was a compass with the letters N. S. E. & W. still visable.  Sadly, the compass has faded away.  The words "Death great proprietor of all ..." are also still visable.  These are surrounded by baskets of flowers, two houses, a monument, trees including the lovely willow tree, and a dog lying nearby. And of course the floral border is absolutely gorgeous.  

                                          

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Her magnifiscent sampler is a memorial for her older sister, Elizabeth. The date stitched on the monument is Nov. 23, 1825 which matches up with the 1825 death date we found for Elizabeth in the geneological records that we searched.  Emily signed and dated her sampler December 24, 1825, just one month after the date of her sister's death. Emily would have been 15 years old at the time.

In addition to being an absolutely beautiful sampler, this piece is quite rare. Ohio samplers have become very desireable and extremely difficut to find. The eagle makes it even more special.  Emily was one of eight children of Jacob Bradbury and Mary Hutchinson.  All eight children were born in Manlius County, Ohio.
                                        

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There are some thread losses in Emily's stunning sampler.  Most notably in the area just under the eagle. The compass is now missing as are some of the words to the right of that, and there is a bit of thread loss in the border area.  The two small houses also show some thread loss. There is one hole in the center of the sampler and a bit of damage along the bottom edge of the fabric. But in spite of the thread losses, Emily's sampler has a wonderful visual impact and her beautifully realistic needlework would be a very special addition to any collection. The sampler has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         $6250.00