#6331 - Patience Phillips Sampler

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15 3/4"  x 17".    17 1/2" x 18 3/4 " including modern frame.  Patience filled her lovely needlework with everything we expect to see in a 19th century sampler.   There are florals, trees, baskets of fruit, stags, Adam & Eve standing under the tree of life, wonderful birds, a verse and a charming carnation border.  There are even a couple of cute little squirells standing next to Adam & Eve, and the two urns in the bottom corners are especially lovely.   She paid a lot of attention to detail, as her sampler is perfectly balanced and symmetrical.    She signed her sampler, " Performed at Bath Cottage Seminary,  by Patience Phillips in the year  1861."

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Her verse reads:                                                         " Pleasures of Religion                                                Tis Religion that can give                                             Sweetest pleasures while we live                                 Tis religion must supply                                               Solid comfort when we die                                                                                                                            After death Its joys will be                                           Lasting as eternity                                                                                                                     Be the living God my friend                                                                                                       Then my bless shall never end".                                                                      

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                      The condition is quite good except for two problems:  there is a fair amount of thread loss throughout the sampler, and the fabric has darkened over the years.  Most of the thread loss is in the garland above the verse, the tree of life at the bottom, and the border.  There is one small hole below the urn in the right bottom corner and two more on the left bottom outer edge of the fabric.  The holes are almost unnoticeable.                                                        $1150.00

     #6272 - Ann Knowles Sampler

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17"  x 18".    20" x 21 " including modern frame.    This large sampler is filled with lovely motifs that are very typical of 19th century needlework.  The central motif is of course, the gorgeous basket of flowers.  Ann stitched the very realistic flowers with excellent workmanship and used shading and different stitches to create texture.  The basket really looks like a basket!   Other motifs include birds, crowns, baskets of fruit, and urns of flowers.   She surrounded her sampler with a charming strawberry border, and includes a lovely verse 

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Her verse reads:                                                       "Great God to thee my voice I raise                            To thee my youngest hours belong                               I would begin my life with praise                                Till growing years improve the song                           

Thy praise shall still employ my breath                      Since thou hast marked my way to heav'n                                                                                Nor will I run the road to death                                                                                                 Nor waste the blessings thou hast given"                                                                                   She signed her sampler "Ann Knowles her work finished April 1829".                                                                                

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                                                                                                    There are a few condition problems to the sampler, but nothing terrible.  The fabric has darkened with age and there are old nail holes around the outer edges of the fabric.  There is a hole near the word "growing" and another near the word "breath".  There are also several holes along the bottom border area and a few very tiny other holes spaced around the sampler. But, none of these actually bother the stitching at all.  The sampler has been mounted on acid-free board to conserve it.                                                        $1450.00

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#6235
 Birds & Hearts Sampler

7 7/8" x 9 1/2". 9 3/4" x 11 1/2" including a modern frame.   While this charming unfinished sampler is not signed or dated, it is a very nice antique sampler at a very affordable price.  It begins with several individual bands of different stitches including, long arm cross stitch, algerian eye stitch and sawtooth satin stitch.   Our stitcher follows those decorative bands with an upper case alphabet, again separating each row with a decorative stitch.  Next we see a charming band of motifs including birds, hearts and florals.          

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                                                                                                                                                                      She started another alphabet worked in algerian eye stitch, but that one was never finished.   There are also several random attempts at a few stitches here and there. So, she probably rolled up her sampler and put it in her sewing basket to store the patterns and used it to experiment with new ones.   The sam pler is circa 1850.     

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                                                                                                              The condition of the sampler is very good.  There are two very small holes.  One is between the "L & M" and the other is just below the large flower on the left.  There are also a few minor stains, but the colors of the silks are still vibrant.                                                                                                                     $485.00

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#6263
 Mary Ann Stark Sampler

12 1/2" x 12 1/2". 15 3/4" x 15 3/4" including probably the original frame.  Mary Ann's lovely silkwork sampler is a mourning sampler for her brother, Charles.  She stitched a beautiful floral border surrounding florals, trees, birds, cherubs and a very poignant verse.   The center of the sampler also has a very lovely basket of flowers.  She signed her sampler " Mary ann Stark 1848".

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The verse reads:                                                       " The Death of a Brother                                       Charles is gone dear youth how                             Suddent was the stroke he received                       When coming home from work                             Short was the time he had in this world to stay      For God who gave can surely take away".               

    

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The condition of Mary ann's sampler is good although there are some holes.   They are mostly in the border area with the only really noticable one being above the small heart near the right border. There are two or three others but they are not obvious. The color of the silks are still vibrant and there is only one stain in the top left corner.                                                                      $1430.00

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  #6419                         

Margaret Lavinia MacIntyre Miniature Sampler - 11 1/4" x 8 1/2".   13 3/4" x 11" including modern frame. This sweet little sampler features a house sitting under the shade of a tree (actually, it looks more like a giant leaf than a tree), and a lady with her dog outside the house.  There are also birds, baskets of fruit and a surrounding strawberry border.  The sampler is not signed, but there was a note written on the back that reads,  "Sampler made by Margaret Lavinia MacIntyre   Fred's grandmother".  The sampler is circa 1870.      

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The condition of the sampler is good.  There are only two very small holes in the fabric and there is some thread loss.  In the top center of the sampler there were two facing birds as well as a flock of smaller birds that has faded away.   The right basket of fruit has faded a bit as well.   The sampler has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                       $645.00

     #5920 - Ann Dudlea Smith Sampler

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11 1/4"  x 14 3/4".    15 1/2" x 18 3/4" including new burled wood frame.  Ann's wonderful silkwork sampler is quite unusual.   She begins with alphabets, numbers, crowns and various dividing bands, which she follows

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with a delightful verse.   But the bottom third of the sampler is stunning!  She has created a beautiful floral garden.  For the florals she used several different stitches and even used different color silks to create some very extraordinary shading.   Shading of any kind is quite unusual on samplers and this is very well done.  I suspect that Ann had an excellent teacher as well as talent with the needle.                                                                                      The verse and dedication reads "Beauty is a Flower that Fadeth away  But virtue is a Jewel that never Decay   Ann Dudlea Smith marked this Sampler in the year 1780  Aged 9 years   Taught by Ann Funn".

The condition of this lovely sampler is quite good for its age. 

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There is no thread loss, but the

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color she used for the verse was quite light and it has faded, which makes it difficult to read if you are not close to it.   The only holes are in the three center florals at the bottom.    These too, are difficult to see unless you are looking for them, because the sampler has been backed with a like-colored fabric.                                                           $1850.00