Sampler

Woven Textile

-

Vermont Historical Society

Name/Title

Sampler

Entry/Object ID

1959.21.2

Description

Linen sampler embroidered with 2-ply silk thread. The design consists of a floral border surrounding three alphabets, a maker inscription, a verse, and floral elements. The outer border consists of a continuous, curvilinear vine in stem stitch with alternating pink and white flowers (satin stitch) and green leaves (satin stitch). The center is surrounded by a narrow border of flame stitches in white. The uppermost alphabet contains all capital letters and numbers up to 7 in a fancy script. The letters are cross stitched in black thread, much of which is disintegrated. A narrow green border of cross stitches separates the uppermost and second alphabets. The to subsequent alphabets are marking letters done in cross stitches. The first is in capital letters and the second is lower case; they are separated by a narrow border of black thread, and a green and pink strawberry border sits below. Across the center in green thread is the inscription, "Sarah Bayley Cobb Aged 12 years. Wrought under/the care of Mifs Lucinda Washburn. Hardwick, July 1821," followed by a border of queen stitches in pink thread. Beneath the border is the verse, "Oh that forever may be mine/ Those joys that humanise the heart/That wake at pity's plaintive shrine/And sympathy's soft tear impart." Across the bottom are three floral elements: a large bouquet in a basket flanked by two swags. The basket is cross stitched while the swags are both filled with stem stitches. The 9-yarn-wide hem is accented by a hem stitch all the way around.

Context

Made by Sarah Bayley Cobb in Hardwick, Vermont.

Acquisition

Accession

1959.21

Source or Donor

Field, Helen K.

Acquisition Method

Gift

Made/Created

Artist

Field, Sarah Bayley Cobb (1809-1863)

Date made

1821

Place

Town

Hardwick

County

Caledonia County

State/Province

Vermont

Country

United States of America

Continent

North America

Woven Textile Details

Weave Type

Plain Weave

Warp

Average Warp Count

25

Warp Materials

Linen

Weft

Weft Count

23

Weft Materials

Linen

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Tertiary Object Term

Sampler

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Embroidery

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Needlework

Nomenclature Class

Art

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Material

Linen, Silk

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Wright, Lucinda Washburn (1802-1826)

Related Publications

Publication

The Christian Messenger

Web Links and URLs

Collections Video on YouTube