Sampler
EmbroidererEmbroidered by
Lydia Church
(American, 1778 - 1862)
TeacherTaught by
Mrs. Mansfield
Date1791
MediumEmbroidery: silk and metallic threads, sequins on a plain-woven, undyed linen ground
Frame: wood, glass, gold paint
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width of frame): 20 5/8 x 22 1/2in. (52.4 x 57.2cm)
Primary Dimensions (height x width of visible ground): 18 1/2 x 20 1/2in. (47 x 52.1cm)
ClassificationsTextiles
Credit LineConnecticut Museum of Culture and History collection
Object number1904.5.0
DescriptionSampler worked in dark brown, cream, blue-green, medium green, light brown, light green, dark green, light blue, medium brown, and pink silk threads on a plain-woven linen ground in tent and other stitches. The sampler is squarish, oriented horizontally. It is laid out with six rows of four alphabets and the numbers 1 through 12, over three inscriptions, over a horizontal band of pictorial motifs. The first inscription is "Death like an overflowing stream sweeps us away our lifes a drem [sic]/ An empty tale a morning flower cut down and witherd [sic] in an hour". The second inscription is "New Haven Connecticut July 19 1791 Mrs Mansfield Sc [sic]". The third inscription is "LYDIA CHURCH Aged 13 1791". The horizontal band of pictorial motifs is a landscape, which includes, from left to right, four left-facing sheep or goats, a left-facing man holding a stick or a gun, a tree, a plant, a three-story house with a center door and a widow's walk, a plant, a tree, a left-facing man, and a left-facing woman in a dress holding a parasol in one hand and, possibly, a fan in the other. A fence runs across the font of the scene; it leads up to the front steps of the house from both sides. Each window of the house is filled in with metal threads. There are spangles, or sequins, in the widow's walk and on the mens' coats. The motifs are to scale. In the upper left corner of the scene is a quarter-sized disk of coiled metallic threads; it is held down by tacking stitches. The sampler is solidly stitched. There is a wide elaborate three-sided border on the sides and top. In each of the bottom corners of the side borders is a bird within a vase. A vine and flower design grows out of each vase and continues, making up the primary design of the border. At each of the top corners is a bow; at the bows' tails there is a surplus of colorful thread. These colorful threads give the area of a lacy look.
Only the top edge of the sampler is visible. It appears to have some pulled threads and is hem-stitched. It also appears to be pulled over a surface. The sampler is in an old frame (probably replaced).
Letters and Numbers: There are four alphabets. The letters are uppercase block in alphabets 1 and 3, and lowercase block in alphabets 2 and 4. The letter J is present in the first and fourth alphabets; the letter U is present in all alphabets. The letter A is repeated in the first and fourth alphabets; it is presented as "Aa" in the fourth alphabet. The letter "s" is repeated in the second alphabet. The words "drem" and "hour" encroach the right border. The "m" in "drem" is positioned above the "e" in "drem". The embroiderer uses long 's'.
Stitches: The principal stitch on the sampler is tent stitch; it is also worked in cross (over two threads), satin, straight, Algerian eye, queen, cross (over one thread), chain, hem, stem/outline, long and short, and hem stitches. Embroiderer used spangles (mens' coats and on widow's walk) and metal threads (windows, coiled disk).
Condition: The sampler probably has minimal to light fading, depending on color. The frame is replaced; the sampler has been re-mounted.
Only the top edge of the sampler is visible. It appears to have some pulled threads and is hem-stitched. It also appears to be pulled over a surface. The sampler is in an old frame (probably replaced).
Letters and Numbers: There are four alphabets. The letters are uppercase block in alphabets 1 and 3, and lowercase block in alphabets 2 and 4. The letter J is present in the first and fourth alphabets; the letter U is present in all alphabets. The letter A is repeated in the first and fourth alphabets; it is presented as "Aa" in the fourth alphabet. The letter "s" is repeated in the second alphabet. The words "drem" and "hour" encroach the right border. The "m" in "drem" is positioned above the "e" in "drem". The embroiderer uses long 's'.
Stitches: The principal stitch on the sampler is tent stitch; it is also worked in cross (over two threads), satin, straight, Algerian eye, queen, cross (over one thread), chain, hem, stem/outline, long and short, and hem stitches. Embroiderer used spangles (mens' coats and on widow's walk) and metal threads (windows, coiled disk).
Condition: The sampler probably has minimal to light fading, depending on color. The frame is replaced; the sampler has been re-mounted.
Label TextLydia Church’s sampler is one of four highly decorative samplers made in
1791 at Mrs. Mansfield’s New Haven school. Each features a landscape
panel with an imposing Georgian mansion flanked by two trees, white
fencing, and strolling figures of fashionably dressed men and women. The
schoolmistress was likely Mary Fenno Mansfield (1767–1825) and similar,
but generally simpler, houses appear on samplers made in towns along the
Long Island Sound shoreline and up the Housatonic and Naugatuck River
valleys through at least the 1830s.
Thirteen-year-old sampler maker Lydia Church traveled the length of
Connecticut to attend Mrs. Mansfield’s school. Her sampler is elaborately
embroidered. The bowknots at the upper corners end in three-dimensional
florets, and the dark border is completely filled with tent stitches, using a
thin, single strand of black silk thread.
1791 at Mrs. Mansfield’s New Haven school. Each features a landscape
panel with an imposing Georgian mansion flanked by two trees, white
fencing, and strolling figures of fashionably dressed men and women. The
schoolmistress was likely Mary Fenno Mansfield (1767–1825) and similar,
but generally simpler, houses appear on samplers made in towns along the
Long Island Sound shoreline and up the Housatonic and Naugatuck River
valleys through at least the 1830s.
Thirteen-year-old sampler maker Lydia Church traveled the length of
Connecticut to attend Mrs. Mansfield’s school. Her sampler is elaborately
embroidered. The bowknots at the upper corners end in three-dimensional
florets, and the dark border is completely filled with tent stitches, using a
thin, single strand of black silk thread.
Status
Not on view
