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Sampler
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| Accession #: | 1838.6 |
|---|---|
| Title: | Sampler |
| Object Type: | Sampler |
| Participants: | |
| Physical Description: | An English alphabet is embroidered above birds, a dog, a flower, and the outline of a house on this square-shaped coarse canvas. The border is embroidered in a sawtooth checkerboard pattern. The embroidery was worked in multiple colors, including red, yellow, aqua, and peach. The yarn appears to be wool. |
| Description: | The style of this unsigned embroidered sampler suggests that it was made by a young girl during the later part of the nineteenth century. The maker was possibly Annie Lukens Daniels (1855-1939) of Swarthmore, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, whose daughter, Helen Daniels Bloomsburg (1893-1986) donated the sampler. Making an embroidered sampler was an important part of a girl's education during the 16th through 19th centuries. Originally, the ability to label household linens and clothing with embroidery was an essential skill at a time when all textiles were handwoven, and therefore very valuable. Samplers also provided an introduction to numerals and the alphabet, and they demonstrated a girl's ability to beautify her home with decorative objects. The practice declined during the mid-19th century, but girls continued to make embroidered samplers in some regions. |
| Category: | Textiles |
| Subjects/Topics/Concepts: |
Decorative Arts (Decorative Arts)
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| Geographical Reference: | Pennsylvania (National) |
| Dimensions: |
length 12"
width 12"
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| Materials/Techniques: |
wool yarn (Material)
embroidery (Technique)
cross stitch (Technique)
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| Marks/Inscription: | |
| Credit Line: | Gift of Helen Bloomsburg, 1963 |
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