Sampler
EmbroidererEmbroidered by
Harriet Upson
American, 1820 - 1893
Date3 May 1831
MediumEmbroidery; silk threads on a plain-woven, undyed linen ground
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width of ground): 17 1/4 x 11 7/8in. (43.8 x 30.2cm)
ClassificationsTextiles
Credit LineMuseum purchase
DescriptionSampler worked in dark brown, cream, black, mint, light green, light brown, and dark green silk threads on a plain-woven linen ground in cross and other stitches. The sampler is rectangular, oriented vertically. It is laid out with three or four rows of three alphabets, over an inscription and the numbers 1 through 10, over a three-story house. The inscription is "Harriet Upson's sampler/ Marked In the 11th year of her/ Age Humphreys Ville May 3d/ 1831". The front and the side of the house have center doors which are flanked by windows. Each of the second and third floors have six windows, three windows on the front and three windows on the side. There is an attic window on the side of the house. The side door is outlined in dark green, unlike the other, and the window to its left and the attic window are stitched in dark green. Certain lines of alphabets, numbers, and text are separated by various narrow borders, including straight and meandering lines. There is a four-sided border. The sampler is probably unfinished.
The sampler has a 3/16-inch double-turned hem on the top and both side edges, and a selvedge on the bottom edge. The sampler is not framed.
Letters and Numbers: There are probably three alphabets and the numbers 1-10. The letters are probably uppercase block in alphabet 1, lowercase block in alphabet 2, and uppercase script in alphabet 3. The third alphabet may not have been stitched beyond the letter C. It is impossible to determine whether the letters J and U were present in all alphabets or whether any letters were repeated. The letter "y" in "year" is backwards. All lowercase letters with descenders, such as the letter 'g', are placed so the descender does not extend below the baseline.
Stitches: The principal stitch on the sampler is cross stitch over two threads; it is also worked in back and cross (over one thread) stitches.
Condition: The sampler has significant loss to the stitches in the alphabets. The ground is darkened. The sampler is probably unfinished. It is not framed.
The sampler has a 3/16-inch double-turned hem on the top and both side edges, and a selvedge on the bottom edge. The sampler is not framed.
Letters and Numbers: There are probably three alphabets and the numbers 1-10. The letters are probably uppercase block in alphabet 1, lowercase block in alphabet 2, and uppercase script in alphabet 3. The third alphabet may not have been stitched beyond the letter C. It is impossible to determine whether the letters J and U were present in all alphabets or whether any letters were repeated. The letter "y" in "year" is backwards. All lowercase letters with descenders, such as the letter 'g', are placed so the descender does not extend below the baseline.
Stitches: The principal stitch on the sampler is cross stitch over two threads; it is also worked in back and cross (over one thread) stitches.
Condition: The sampler has significant loss to the stitches in the alphabets. The ground is darkened. The sampler is probably unfinished. It is not framed.
Object number1983.25.0
MarkingsTranscription of text lines:"[illegible]/ [illegible]/ qrstuvwxyz ABC/ [illegible or never stitched]/ Harriet Upson's sampler/ Marked In the 11th year of her/ Age Humphreys Ville May 3d/ 1831 12345678910".
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