Sampler
EmbroidererEmbroidered by
Lucy Kirby Beckley
(American, 1800 - 1876)
Date1810-1811
MediumCross-stitched linen and silk
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width): 8 5/8 x 10 3/4in. (21.9 x 27.3cm)
ClassificationsTextiles
Credit LineGift of Rulef C. Schanck in memory of his wife, Leona Lucy Fisher Schanck
DescriptionMarking sampler worked in light brown and dark brown silk threads on a plain-woven linen ground using cross stitches. The sampler is rectangular, oriented horizontally. It is laid out with five rows of two alphabets, the numbers 1 through 9 followed by a zero, and an inscription, over an inscription. The first inscription is "Lucy Kirby Bec/ kleys marked in the 10th/ year of her age". The second inscription is "Teach me to feel another/ woe To hide the fault I see". There are two marking motifs resembling baskets or the letter W; there are at least two diamond designs. The lines of alphabets are separated by narrow straight borders. There is a four-sided narrow zig-zag border.
The sampler has a 1/8-inch single-turned hem on the top, left, and bottom edges, and a selvedge on the right side. The sampler is not framed.
Letters and Numbers: There are two alphabets and the numbers 1-9 followed by a zero. The letters are uppercase block in alphabet 1, and lowercase block in alphabet 2. The letters J and U are present in both alphabets. Six letters are repeated twice in the first alphabet: ACEMNT; the letter S is in triplicate. The letters "de" are not present in the second alphabet. The "s" in "Beckleys" is unusually small; the "ee" in "see" is small as well.
Stitches: The sampler is worked in cross stitches over two threads and cross stitches over one thread.
Condition: The edges are raw in some places. The sampler has light fading. The sampler is not framed.
The sampler has a 1/8-inch single-turned hem on the top, left, and bottom edges, and a selvedge on the right side. The sampler is not framed.
Letters and Numbers: There are two alphabets and the numbers 1-9 followed by a zero. The letters are uppercase block in alphabet 1, and lowercase block in alphabet 2. The letters J and U are present in both alphabets. Six letters are repeated twice in the first alphabet: ACEMNT; the letter S is in triplicate. The letters "de" are not present in the second alphabet. The "s" in "Beckleys" is unusually small; the "ee" in "see" is small as well.
Stitches: The sampler is worked in cross stitches over two threads and cross stitches over one thread.
Condition: The edges are raw in some places. The sampler has light fading. The sampler is not framed.
Object number1935.14.21
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