#6861                                                                                                          Carver Family Tree               

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Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts

19 " x 22 1/2".    23" x 26 1/4 " including a period painted gilt frame.   It is exceptionally rare and very special to find a family record embroidery actually worked in the tree format.  This needlework is stunning!  It records the parents names at the base of the tree as David Carver and Hannah Harlow, as well as the names and dates of twelve Carver family siblings.  The silk on silk needlework is exquisitely worked.  The tree is surround- ed with a lovely oval floral border.          
 

 

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The siblings names listed are Mary, Lucy, Simeon, Hannah, David, Lucy, Henry, Sarah, Frederick, Ruth, Robert, and William.   I belive the needlework was probably stitched by Mary.  Interestingly, the geneology research listed Polly as being born in 1770, while the needlework lists Mary as being born in 1770.  So, either Mary and Polly are the same young girl, or they were twins and one was not listed on the sampler.  The needlework is circa 1780 - 1790.                                                                                                  

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There is an obvious water stain along the bottom of the embroidery.  The silk is fairly fragile, so when we tried to mount it on acid-free board we were not able to attach it.   We did manage to lay the embroidery on a piece of linen and mount the linen to an acid-free board.   But because the silk was so weak we were not able to stitch the embroidery  to the linen, which meant we had to put it back in its frame against the glass (without spacers). In spite of being fragile, the silk is completely intact except for a few splits along the top edge.                                                                                                                                                                                                                SOLD

                                                                         #6927                                                                                                        " S.H."  Sampler              

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17 1/2 " x 18".    20 " x 20 1/2 " including a modern frame.   Our sampler maker did not give us her name, but she did include the initials " S.H." and "age 12" as well as the date 1839.   She also gave us her parents initials - " J.H. and B.A. H".  So we don't know exactly who she was or where she was from, but we do know that she stitched a very charming sampler filled with the wonderful motifs that would have appealed to a twelve year old girl.  Her sampler has a naive kind of charm that I find very appealing.              
 

 

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The focal point of the sampler is a  lady carrying a basket and wearing a bonnet.    Her face, bonnet, bodice and basket are all stitched over one thread, which gives the lady a lovely texture.  The stitches used include cross stitch over one thread and over two threads, eyelet stitch and sawtooth satin stitch.  There are florals, birds, trees, hearts and two fairly detailed houses in the bottom corners of the sampler.   There is also an interesting three sided border with strawberries at the top and florals down the sides.                                                                                                   

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The condition of this sweet sampler is quite good.   There is a bit of thread loss in the sawtooth satin stitched band and a couple of minor stains.  The only noticable stain is in the bottom left border area. But there are no holes in the fabric and the colors are quite good.     The sampler has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                                                                                                              $1285.00

                                                                         #6921                                                                                                      Hannah Johnson Sampler               

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16 " x 21".    19 " x 24 " including a period maple frame.   Hannah stitched a stunning gazebo with delicate vines and flowers growing up the sides, surrounded by two fabulous trees.  What a gorgeous garden scene!  This young girl had a wonder- ful artistic flair with her needle.  There are four different alpha- bets worked in eyelet stitch, cross stitch and satin stitch divided by a decorative band of queen stitch.  She added an outer border of strawberries on three sides surrounding an inner border of satin stitch and eyelet stitch.  Simply put, this sampler has everything you could want in a sampler.  I believe it to American in origin, but because Hannah Johnson is a fairly common name, I have not been able to verify where she was born.           
  

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                                                                                          Her verse reads:

" Thou Canst Accomplish All Things
Lord Of Might.
And Every Thought Is Naked
To Thy Sight".

She signed her sampler,  "Hannah Johnson   October 12, 1774".                                                                                                  

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The first alphabet and the signature band have faded in color a bit so that is somewhat difficult to read.   And following her name something appears to have been picked out (probably her age).  There is also some overall darkening to the fabric, although the linen was probably fairly dark in color when it was new.   But there are no holes in the fabric and no losses to the silks, so the sampler is in very good condition.  It has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                                                                                                             $3875.00

                                                                         #6913                                                                                                      Mary Robinson Sampler
                                                   Probably American    

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16 1/4 " x 18".    18 " x 20 " including a modern frame.   The large floral in the bottom center of this sampler is absolutely stunning!  The workmanship on it is exquisite!  It is so realistic that you expect to smell the floral scent.   Mary added a verse, and two charming (and unusual) black faced owls and surround- ed her gorgeous sampler with an elegant honeysuckle vine bor- der.   The antique dealer that we purchased Mary's beautiful sampler from said that Mary was born in New Haven, CT, but our research didn't find that to be the case.  With a name as common as Mary Robinson, it is quite difficult to know which girl is our girl.  We believe she was either born in New York, Vermont, Tennessee or Ohio.       
 

 

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Her verse reads:

" Let me improve the Hours I have
Before the Day of Grace is fled
There's no repentance in the Grave
Nor Pardons offered to the Dead".

She signed her lovely sampler, "Mary Robinson Aged 12".                                                                                                   

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There is a bit of thread loss in the signature area making her name a bit difficult to read.  But there are no holes in the fabric and the silks are amazingly vibrant.  Mary's sampler has been conservation mounted on another piece of linen and framed with TruGuard UV Protectant glass.                                                                                                                                                                                    $2750.00

                                                                         #6826                                                                                                    English Motif Sampler
                                            

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13 1/2 " x 14 1/4".    17 1/2" x 18 " including a 19th century maple frame.   While it is not signed or dated, this beautiful motif sampler is circa 1840.   Motif samplers are very different from most other types of samplers in that they are generally much more decorative.   There are no alphabets and no verses.   What you see are lots of truly lovely decorative motifs.    And that is what appeals to me about this beautiful sampler.   And, equally appealing is the lovely sheen from the silks.  These motifs almost jump out at you because the fibers actually shine.
 

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There are birds, trees, baskets of fruit, and lots of gorgeous florals.   The three florals in the center of the sampler are expecially wonderful.  The top center bird appears to be a peacock as he is quite colorful and is sporting a bit of a topknot on his head.   The undulating floral border is also quite lovely.  It's a bit unusual to see so many different flowers in a border.   This one features roses, tulips, honeysuckle and the occaisional strawberry just to name a few.                                                                                                                      

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The sampler is showing some darkening in the center of the piece most likely caused by the sampler being mounted on a wood stretcher at some time.   There is also one large hole in the fabric located in the upper right corner of the sampler and there is a bit of wear to the left fabric edge outside of the stitched area.   But the silks are lovely and quite vibrant and there is no bleeding.  The sampler has been mounted on acid-free board.                                                                                                                                     $1285.00