Object Name: Sampler
Object ID: 1963.004
Creator: Curry, Nancy (1791-1851)
Place of Origin: Canterbury, NH
Date: 1806
Description: Sampler. Made by Nancy Curry (1791-1851), Canterbury, NH; 1806. Silk embroidery on loosely woven linen ground fabric. Two alphabets: first, large-scale script capital letters in pale blue cross stitching; second, small-scale block capitals in green cross stitching, followed by numbers one through seven. A decorative line of a stylized floral vine and a line of herringbone stitches separates the alphabets from the verse: "Fair emblem of modesty beautifull [sic] flower / That bashfully hid thy sweet head / I plucked and have kept the[e] but one little h / our [on line above] / And now all thy beauty is fled." A line of Algerian eye and satin stitching worked in blocks separates the verse from the inscription: "Nancy Curry her sampler wrought in the / 15 year of her Age. A.D. 1806." Below the alphabet and inscription panel is embroidered a scene consisting of a central basket of flowers surrounded by more flowers of various scales, birds, and a deer (or cow?), on top of undulating ground. On the right side is an unfinished black-spotted creature, probably a cow. Most of these motifs are outlined with black silk stitching, a feature of Canterbury area samplers. Stitches used in this section include cross, long-and-short, satin, bullion, and outline. Some inked outlines of the motifs in this area are evident. A strawberry vine border frames the sides and top of the sampler, above the lower scene. The strawberries are worked with tent stitch. Colors are primarily black, cream, green, and pink. All edges of the linen are cut and raw. Verse from "on a Violet," by Harriet, published in the Poetry section of the Boston Weekly Magazine, July 30, 1803, p. 164.
Material: Textile
Linen
Silk
Dimensions: H-17 W-14.6 inches
Provenance: Nancy (Curry) Bradley (1791-1851) was the great-grandmother of the donor, Frederick A. Eastman (1895-1978).
Credit Line: Gift of Frederick A. Eastman
People:
Curry, Nancy (1791-1851),
Eastman, Frederick A. (1895-1978)
Subjects:
Baskets,
Birds,
Flowers,
Goats,
Embroidery