Sampler
EmbroidererEmbroidered by
Stella Maria Ransom
American, born 1832
Date1840
MediumEmbroidery; silk threads on a plain-woven, undyed linen ground
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width of ground): 16 3/4 x 17in. (42.5 x 43.2cm)
ClassificationsTextiles
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Edgar Burnham
DescriptionUnfinished sampler worked in dark brown, medium browns, dark green, reds, light blue, and pale pink silk threads on a plain-woven linen ground in cross 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. The first inscription is "Sweet mercies around me are spread/ That fill my young heart with delight/ Kind parents and sisters and friends/ I am happy from morning till night". The second inscription is "Stella Maria Ransom aged 8 years./ Chatham September 22nd. 1840.". The third inscription is "Honour thy father and thy mother; that thy days may belong in the/ land which the L[partial L]". The third inscription is incomplete. Certain lines of alphabets, numbers, and text are separated by various narrow borders, including straight and meandering lines. The sampler has is a four-sided border.
The sampler has a 3/16-inch double-turned hem on all four sides. The sampler is not framed.
Letters and Numbers: There are four alphabets and the numbers 1-12. The letters are uppercase block in alphabets 1 and 4, uppercase script in alphabet 2, and lowercase block in alphabet 3. The letters J and U are present in all alphabets. The fourth alphabet ends at Y.
Stitches: The principal stitch on the sampler is cross stitch over two threads; it is also worked in Algerian eye, cross (over one thread), and queen stitches.
Condition: The sampler has light fading. It is unfinished. The sampler is not framed.
The sampler has a 3/16-inch double-turned hem on all four sides. The sampler is not framed.
Letters and Numbers: There are four alphabets and the numbers 1-12. The letters are uppercase block in alphabets 1 and 4, uppercase script in alphabet 2, and lowercase block in alphabet 3. The letters J and U are present in all alphabets. The fourth alphabet ends at Y.
Stitches: The principal stitch on the sampler is cross stitch over two threads; it is also worked in Algerian eye, cross (over one thread), and queen stitches.
Condition: The sampler has light fading. It is unfinished. The sampler is not framed.
Object number1959.80.10
MarkingsTranscription of text lines:"ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXY/ Z& ABCDEFGHIJKLMN/ OPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghij/ klmnopqrstuvwxyz& 123456789101112/ ABCDEFGHIJKLMN/ OPQRSTUVWXY/ Sweet mercies around me are spread/ That fill my young heart with delight/ Kind parents and sisters and friends/ I am happy from morning till night/ Stella Maria Ransom aged 8 years./ Chatham September 22nd. 1840./ Honour thy father and thy mother; that thy days may belong in the/ land which the L [partial L].".
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