Sarah Batt, Ackworth School, 1821
Name/Title
Sarah Batt, Ackworth School, 1821Entry/Object ID
2020.2.1Tags
Ackworth School, Quaker sampler, Tokens, Medallions, SamplerDescription
An Ackworth School medallion sampler worked in black silk. The field is organized into twelve medallions of varying shapes, each enclosing initials, short texts, or floral, foliate, and bird images. The border consists of half medallions along all sides. Framed within a black painted and molded frame with conservation glass.Use
Ackworth medallion samplers preserved the patterns for medallions that were placed on tokens made for friends and loved ones as gifts.Context
Ackworth School samplers are amongst the most sought after of all English schoolgirl needlework, and medallion samplers are considered the most desirable of this genre. The Ackworth school was founded in 1779 and later served as te template for American Quaker schools, most notabley, the Westtown School in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Male and female students were separated and both received a structured and disciplined year-round educaiton with no holidays or summer breaks. Female students learned samplermaking and needlworking skills in addition to their academic curriculum, and accourding to Elfrida Vipont in, Ackowrh School, worked theri samplers in one color of silk for the sake of economy. The aphorisms, "tho absent yet beloved" and "A token of love: are well documented on Ackworth samplers. One motif that appears on this sampler is, however, not generally found - that of an anchor with the letters spelling "HOPE," which was worked to the far left of Sarah's name and date.Collection
ERS Sampler CollectionCategory
Counted thread embroidery
Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Sarah BattAttribution
School of AckworthRole
StudentDate made
1821Time Period
19th CenturyPlace
* Untyped Place
West Yorkshire, EnglandTextile Details
Textile Shape
SquareEthnography
Cultural Region
* Untyped Cultural Region
EnglandCulture/Tribe
Quaker