#7049
 Scottish House Sampler

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13 " x 16 ".   15 1/2" x 18 1/2 " including a modern frame.   This lovely Scottish house sampler features a beautiful country manor house with an absolutely fabulous shaggy front lawn.  These shaggy front lawns were only ever found on Scottish samplers, and they are as rare as they are wonderful. The depth and dimension that it gives the piece is truly spectacular.  There are also two inviting white benches as well as birds, baskets of fruit, crowns, flowers and two won- derfully colorful butterflies. The manor house features sixteen multi-paned windows and four chimneys, so we know that this is indeed a wealthy estate.

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The sampler is circa 1820. Sadly, it is impossible to read the name of the little girl who stitched this beautiful sampler. The name and the date have worn away over time. But just so that she is not a complete mystery, the first two lines of letters on the sampler are filled with many family initials. 



                                                                                                                                    

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                        There is a water stain at the bottom of the piece, and there are a couple of holes in the linen in the upper border area. But they are actually outside of the stitched work, so they are not very noticable. As mentioned above, the signature and date have faded over time. But other than that, the condition issues don't actually impact the stitching at all.  The colors are vibrant and strong and the threads show very little loss.   It has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                    $2265.00      

 #7050
 Ann Woodcock Sampler

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17 1/4 " x 16 1/2".    20 1/2" x 20 " including a modern frame.  Ann's beautiful sampler is absolutely filled with charming motifs. There are birds, trees, florals, a basket of fruit, butterflies, lions and a graceful  garland of flowers, as well as two interesting little castles. Those motifs are all fairly common on 19th century samplers.  But Ann added several wonderful motifs that are not very common. There is a charming ship filled with many people (and a dog!), with what appears to be a pair of rising phoenix soaring above.  A tiny dragon appears to be passing by the ship and there is also a lovely lady in a striped gown. Ann also signed and dated her sampler inside two delicate hearts and she put a parrot on top of the fruit basket. 

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Her verse reads:

"Death, like an overflowing stream,
Sweeps us away our Life's a dream,
An empty Tale, a Morning Flow'r,
Cut down and wither'd in an Hour.
 
Worked by Ann Woodcock   1818".


                                                                                                                                    

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                                                                                                There is an overall darkening in the center of the sampler and there is some bleeding in the verse area.  The fabric is quite gauze-like, so the weakened threads in the verse area give the appearance of small holes in the fabric. But the colors are vibrant and other than the verse area, there is no other damage.  There is a label on the back of the sampler which states that the piece has been framed with Tru Vue conservation glass.                                                                                                                   $1850.00      

 #7048
 Helen McBeth Sampler

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11 3/4 " x 18 ".   15 1/4" x 21 1/2 " including a 19th century bird's eye maple frame.  While Helen's name is very faded and therefore difficult to read, I feel con- fident that  the name signed to this lovely sampler is Helen McBeth. The top of Helen's sampler pictures a graceful and elegant tree surrounded by a delicate garland of fruit and foliage.  Below that she stitched the wonderful manor house and garden that Scottish house samplers are known for.  The house features four chimneys and several multi-paned windows. There are trees, family initials topped with crowns, dogs, rabbits and a strutting peacock. All of this is surrounded by a honeysuckle vine border. The sampler is circa 1820, or perhaps a bit earlier.

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While the verse has somewhat faded away, I was able to read enough of the verse to find the quote online and fill in the missing words.
 
Her verse reads:

Few are thy days and full of woe
O man of woman born
Thy doom is written  dust thou art
And shalt to dust return"
                                                                                                                                    

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                        Helen's sampler is showing a fair amount of thread loss, particularly in the verse and the house areas. Other than the verse, you can still see everything that was there, but the thread loss is noticable.  There is a hole next to the bottom right branch on the large tree, and another one in the bottom right of the tree to the left of the house.  The bottom left corner of the sampler is also showing some loss to the fabric. I would have to say that the overall condition is fair. It has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                 $1465.00      

 #7051
 Ellen Altham Sampler

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16 3/4 " x 12 1/4 ".   19 1/2" x 15 " including a modern frame.  I barely know where to begin to describe this amazing sampler. Ellen's charming piece has a wonderful visual impact. It is worked in a hori- zontal format rather than the more usual vertical one. The house is surprisingly detailed.  There are five multi-paned windows (and not all with the same number of panes).  The door is a lovely six paneled door with a charming plaque over it. The plaque has two delightful little dogs on it that are stitched over one thread!  Adam & Eve are standing under the tree of life, as well as the usual birds and florals.  But possibly the most wonderful motif I have ever seen on a sampler is the two very lifelike cherubs on the roof of the house, one of which is riding a lion! The lion is very lifelike as well. Wow! I have simply never seen anything like this before. 

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She signed her sampler " Ellen Altham  Clithero  April 28, 1826." Ellen Altham was born on December 27, 1818 in Clitheroe, Lancashire, England. Which means that she was only seven years old when she stitched this wonderful sampler.  Her father's name was George Altham and her mother's name was Ann. She married Nathaniel Walsh on September 23, 1841 in Chipping, Lancaster, England. 
 


                                                                                                                                    

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Sadly, there is quite a bit of bleeding in Ellen's charming sampler.  There is also a hole in the bottom left border area. Most of the colors are still vibrant, although a few of the lighter colored ones have faded or worn away.  In spite of the bleeding, when I look at this sampler is just makes me smile.  It has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                                                                                             $2250.00      

 #7047
 Sarah Higginson Sampler
Tower of London

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20 3/4 " x 22 ".   24 1/2" x 25 1/2 " including a beautiful 19th century bird's eye maple frame. This magnifiscent sampler is simply stunning! I believe that the castle Sarah depicted is the Tower of London.  Following the old legend that if the ravens ever left the Tower of London, the tower and the kingdom would fall, Charles II decreed that there would always be ravens at the tower. Clearly, the many black birds that Sarah stitched on her sampler are the ravens from the legend.  In addition, her castle shows a man look- ing out from its depths (either a guard or a prisoner).  The workmanship and the detail on the sampler is wonderful. The two angels are stunning and the butter- flies are gorgeous.  The floral border is  beautiful as well.  There is even a charming weather vane on the top of one of the towers.   

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Her verse reads:

"This I have done to let you see
What care my parents took of me
With care and cost this I have wrought
And finish'd with a pleasant thought."

She signed her sampler, "Sarah Higginson Aged 11 years  A.D. 1846 April 29".



                                                                                                                                      

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                The linen that Sarah used for this gorgeous sam- pler is very gauze-like. Because of that, it was attached to another, stronger piece of linen pro- bably right after it was stitched. The linen has split a bit in three places - the left center border, the top left border and the right center border. This is visible in the pictures(the diagonal line you see on the right border is glare from the glass, not a split).  But the linen is stabilized and does not look to be in danger of further damage. The worst area is the left center while the right center damage is of very little concern.        It has been mounted on acid-free board and is quite stable in the frame..                                                                                                                                                                                                           $3200.00