Memorial Picture
EmbroidererEmbroidered by
Millicent A. Clark
(American, born 1802)
Dateabout 1820
MediumEmbroidery: silk threads, chenille threads and paint on a plain-woven silk ground
Frame: wood, glass, gold paint, black paint
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width of frame): 24 3/8 x 30 5/8in. (61.9 x 77.8cm)
ClassificationsTextiles
Credit LineConnecticut Museum of Culture and History collection
Object number1998.145.0
DescriptionMemorial picture worked in medium green, blue-green, khaki and cream silk threads, light medium and dark brown, dark green and blue-green chenille threads and black, grey, white and red paint on a cream-colored plain-woven silk ground using satin stitch and other stitches; the mourning picture is in a gold-painted wooden frame behind glass that is labeled "MILLICENT A. CLARK". The picture shows a man, two women, two girls, and one boy standing on a hill beside two headstones, or memorials. The man and boy are dressed in black clothes; the women and children are wearing white Empire-style dresses. Three of the females are draping flowers over the headstones. The left headstone has an inscription that is intentionally illegible. The right headstone has a hand-written inscription that is partially legible: "Dear.../ Fair.../ Sweet lovely.../ A moments.../ Just brightened into.../ To in it [?] one vary.../ To gilz [?] thy passage/ To the lonely tomb-". The headstones are located on a hill beneath two tall trees; the trees are in the right foreground of the picture. In the center distance is a church with a steeple; a bridge supported by arches is to the right. In the left middle distance is a stone bridge, now a ruin. The needlework is behind original glass that is painted black and gold at the edges; the name of the embroiderer is painted in gold at the bottom center. The original gilded wooden frame consists of a deep, cove molding surrounded by quarter-round projecting molding. The cove molding contains a delicate rope-twist molding. The projecting molding is embellished with projecting clusters of grapes and leaves formed with gesso.
The silk ground is nailed to a wooden stretcher. The back of the stretcher is lined with newspaper and taped into the frame. The newspaper is printed in black ink on laid paper. One section of the paper appears to be reports from the judicial courts. One court report is titled "HARTFORD COUNT, ss/ Superior Court, February Term, A. D. 1817." Another is closed with the date "Hartford, 18th April 1817".
Stitches: The primary stitch on the memorial picture is satin stitch; it also includes encroaching satin, long and short, flat stitch, couching, and french knot. Additional elements of the picture are hand-painted directly onto the ground.
Condition: The sampler is in the original frame, with the original glass and stretcher. The ground has shattered in several areas, most notably across the top left and at the lower center right. The glass has accumulated dirt and is somewhat cloudy. The embroidery has accumulated dirt and stains as well. The silk thread and chenille yarn has moderate to severe fading. The newspaper that is applied to the back has accumulated dirt, and is broken or missing in several areas. Portions of the gilded paint and gesso are missing from the frame. Limited areas of the gilded paint have been replaced. The needlework is resting on a fabric-lined support that is intended to take some of the pressure off the stretcher and to support the embroidery.
NotesSubject Note: The memorial picture was probably made around 1817 to mourn the death of Millicent Clark's two sisters Tiresa (1805-1806), and Lydia Ann (1810-1814). The individuals depicted in the memorial picture are her father, Patrick Clark, her mother, Lydia Clark, herself and two sisters, Tiresa Emeline (b. 1807), Marcy Ann Smith (b. 1816), and her young brother Patrick Jeremiah (b. 1815). However, this leaves the oldest male child, Remeck Knowles (b. 1803) unaccounted for. (Hunt 8/15/2007)The silk ground is nailed to a wooden stretcher. The back of the stretcher is lined with newspaper and taped into the frame. The newspaper is printed in black ink on laid paper. One section of the paper appears to be reports from the judicial courts. One court report is titled "HARTFORD COUNT, ss/ Superior Court, February Term, A. D. 1817." Another is closed with the date "Hartford, 18th April 1817".
Stitches: The primary stitch on the memorial picture is satin stitch; it also includes encroaching satin, long and short, flat stitch, couching, and french knot. Additional elements of the picture are hand-painted directly onto the ground.
Condition: The sampler is in the original frame, with the original glass and stretcher. The ground has shattered in several areas, most notably across the top left and at the lower center right. The glass has accumulated dirt and is somewhat cloudy. The embroidery has accumulated dirt and stains as well. The silk thread and chenille yarn has moderate to severe fading. The newspaper that is applied to the back has accumulated dirt, and is broken or missing in several areas. Portions of the gilded paint and gesso are missing from the frame. Limited areas of the gilded paint have been replaced. The needlework is resting on a fabric-lined support that is intended to take some of the pressure off the stretcher and to support the embroidery.
Status
Not on view
