Sampler
EmbroidererEmbroidered by
Sally Stiles
(American, 1786 - 1854)
Date1801
MediumEmbroidery, silk thread on a plain-woven, undyed linen ground
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width): 14 x 10 1/2in. (35.5 x 26.7cm)
Mount (height x width): 15 1/16 x 11 7/8in. (38.2 x 30.2cm)
ClassificationsTextiles
Credit LineGift of Elsie M. Miles
Object number1968.33.1
DescriptionSampler worked in dark green, medium brown, rust, medium blue, black, light blue, pink, purple, yellow, tangerine, fuschia and tan silk threads on an undyed plain-woven linen ground using cross stitch (over one thread) and other stitches. The sampler is rectangular, oriented vertically. It is laid out with an inscription, over a horizontal band of pictorial motifs within which is the inscription "1801", over an inscription, over a horizontal band of pictorial motifs within which is another inscription. The first inscription is "Sweet the roseate breath of morn/ Sweet the blossom of the thorn/ Sweet the incense violets raise/ Sweeter far the breath of praise/ Sweet and useful when it draws/ The tender mind to virtues cause". The second inscription is "1801". The third inscription is "Where Lehigh flows, and feeds/ sweet flowers 'twas wrought/ in Bethl'hems pleasant bowr's". The fourth inscription is "Sally Stiles/ aged 14 years". The first band of pictorial motifs include, from left to right, two large flowers, two small flowers, a wreath containing "1801", an unidentified motif (possibly a bird), a basket of flowers, and a vase of flowers. The second band of pictorial motifs include, from left to right, two birds facing each other separated by a plant or a tree, a center tree flanked by small birds facing center, and the third inscription, which is over crown and squirrel motifs. It also includes some randomly placed flowers and plants. There is pulled thread work finished with hem stitches on all four sides. This, along with a four-sided stylized floral/vine design, makes up the border.
The sampler has a 3/16-inch double-turned hem on all four edges. It has nail holes along all four edges. The sampler is not framed or mounted.
Letters and Numbers: There is a long 's' in the word "blossom".
Stitches: The principal stitch on the sampler is cross over one; it also includes cross over two, hem and satin stitches.
Condition: The sampler has minimal to light fading. There is a small hole at the center of the sampler. There are visible center horizontal and vertical folds.
The sampler has a 3/16-inch double-turned hem on all four edges. It has nail holes along all four edges. The sampler is not framed or mounted.
Letters and Numbers: There is a long 's' in the word "blossom".
Stitches: The principal stitch on the sampler is cross over one; it also includes cross over two, hem and satin stitches.
Condition: The sampler has minimal to light fading. There is a small hole at the center of the sampler. There are visible center horizontal and vertical folds.
Label TextSally Stiles’s sampler displays several features not found on other
Connecticut examples: its distinctive, crooked-trunk tree; a wreath
encircling the date (a motif often seen on Quaker samplers); an openwork
or drawn-thread border around all four sides; and text consisting entirely
of verses, with no alphabet or numbers.
Sally was taught in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, at the Moravian Seminary
for Young Ladies, the first female boarding school in the United States.
Between 1789 and 1800, at least thirty-two Connecticut girls made the
two-hundred-mile journey to the school testifying to their economic
resources as well as the families’ commitments to education.
Connecticut examples: its distinctive, crooked-trunk tree; a wreath
encircling the date (a motif often seen on Quaker samplers); an openwork
or drawn-thread border around all four sides; and text consisting entirely
of verses, with no alphabet or numbers.
Sally was taught in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, at the Moravian Seminary
for Young Ladies, the first female boarding school in the United States.
Between 1789 and 1800, at least thirty-two Connecticut girls made the
two-hundred-mile journey to the school testifying to their economic
resources as well as the families’ commitments to education.
Status
Not on view
