Picture, Needlework

Object/Artifact

Saco Museum

Name/Title

Picture, Needlework

Entry/Object ID

2008.9.1

Description

Embroidered and painted picture of a shepherdess with her flock in the foreground and a house in the background, all within a plain oval embroidered border. Worked on a silk ground and embroidered with silk threads in shades of brown, blue, ivory, and black. The design appears to have been hand drawn on cloth and embroidered over. Set in period gilded wooden- frame.

Made/Created

Date made

1800 - 1820

Dimensions

Height

14-3/4 in

Width

12-3/4 in

Material

silk thread on silk

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

The naïve nature of this thick-armed shepherdess, accompanied by her lopsided sheep, makes it very likely the work of a small town school, drawn by an inexperienced teacher. At larger academies, teachers frequently resorted to tracing or copying prints of the era; the resulting needlework has a sophistication of design and level of artistry that belie the age of most of the embroiderers. This shepherdess appears to have been drawn by an unskilled hand, but is nonetheless charmingly unique.

Label Type

Object Label

Label

Maker unknown Silk embroidery, circa 1800–1830 Possibly worked in Saco, Maine (school unknown) Silk thread on silk Satin stitch Gift of George Addison Emery