Sampler
EmbroidererEmbroidered by
Abigail Ursula Wooster
(American, 1813 - 1894)
TeacherTaught by
Mary Mallory
Date1824
MediumEmbroidery; silk thread on a plain-woven, undyed linen ground
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width): 12 1/2 x 12 3/4in. (31.8 x 32.4cm)
ClassificationsTextiles
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number1972.20.0
DescriptionSampler worked in dark brown, medium brown, tan, brown-gray, yellow, and light blue silk threads on a plain-woven linen ground using cross and tent stitches. The sampler is squarish, oriented horizontally. It is laid out with five rows of three alphabets and the numbers 1 through 12, over an inscription, over two inscriptions positioned side by side, over a horizontal band of pictorial motifs at the bottom. The first inscription is: "Abigail U Woosters Sampler which she/ mark'd in the 11th year of her age under/ the instruction of Mary Mallory. June th18/ AD [one character] 1824". The second and third inscriptions read, from left to right: "Teach me to feel an others wo/ To hide the fault I see/ That mercy I to others show/ That mercy show to me" and "AU/ W". The horizontal band of pictorial motifs include, from left to right, four different marking designs, and a two-story house with center door. There are several scattered designs, such as hearts and diamond shapes. The sampler has a four-sided diamond border.
The sampler has a 1/8 inch double-turned hem on all four edges. The sampler is not framed.
Letters and Numbers: There are three alphabets. The letters are uppercase script in alphabet 1, uppercase block in alphabet 2, and lowercase block in alphabet 3. The letter J is present in the second and third alphabets only; the letter U is present in all alphabets. The letters A and M are repeated in the second alphabet.
Stitches: The principal stitch on the sampler is cross stitch over two threads; it is also worked in tent stitches.
Condition: The dark brown dye has run onto the ground. The sampler has light to moderate fading, depending on the color. The sampler is not framed.
The sampler has a 1/8 inch double-turned hem on all four edges. The sampler is not framed.
Letters and Numbers: There are three alphabets. The letters are uppercase script in alphabet 1, uppercase block in alphabet 2, and lowercase block in alphabet 3. The letter J is present in the second and third alphabets only; the letter U is present in all alphabets. The letters A and M are repeated in the second alphabet.
Stitches: The principal stitch on the sampler is cross stitch over two threads; it is also worked in tent stitches.
Condition: The dark brown dye has run onto the ground. The sampler has light to moderate fading, depending on the color. The sampler is not framed.
Label TextAbigail’s teacher, Mary Mallory, has not yet been traced, nor are
additional works known to be credited to her instruction. The overall
composition suggests less a personal style than the emergence of a
generalized sampler vocabulary: the Georgian house, four lines from
Alexander Pope’s popular “Universal Prayer,” abstract designs (said to
have been used for marking or decorating linens), alphabets, and numbers.
Abigail’s father was a prosperous manufacturer and the family were
members of the Baptist faith, a dissenting religious minority known for
its often vocal opposition to Connecticut’s established Congregational
Church.
additional works known to be credited to her instruction. The overall
composition suggests less a personal style than the emergence of a
generalized sampler vocabulary: the Georgian house, four lines from
Alexander Pope’s popular “Universal Prayer,” abstract designs (said to
have been used for marking or decorating linens), alphabets, and numbers.
Abigail’s father was a prosperous manufacturer and the family were
members of the Baptist faith, a dissenting religious minority known for
its often vocal opposition to Connecticut’s established Congregational
Church.
Status
Not on view
