Everyone remembers final papers and final exams from their school days, but a final needlework sampler? The female academies attended by students in the 19th century used samplers as a way to track the progress of student needlework. Throughout Connecticut, girls (and a few young boys) completed samplers as a way to both practice their stitching and track their progress.
Samplers frequently consist of a combination of letters, pictures, and decorative designs. Some samplers, such as seven-year-old Sally Lawrence’s marking sampler, were primarily used to practice sewing the alphabet, a necessary skill when it came to marking household linens with initials and numbers. More sophisticated samplers included detailed pictures, like the tavern complete with tavern sign seen in the Watson-Gay Sampler of 1811.
A number of samplers also included religious or moral verse. Verses were often taken not only from the obvious choice of the Holy Bible, but also from contemporary authors, such as Alexander Pope whose moral verse shows up on at least four samplers currently on exhibition.
Two rare samplers seen in the collection of the Connecticut Historical Society, were done by Frederic William Tuttle in 1821 and Miranda Robinson in 1839. Frederic William Tuttle was not alone in his attendance at a female academy and while attending, would have been held to much the same standards and requirements as his female peers. Miranda Robinson’s sampler also represents a lesser-known group in the world of needlework. Miranda the daughter of Connecticut-born free blacks. Her sampler presents one of only two known examples of samplers done by Connecticut free blacks and gives insight into this underrepresented group of talented needleworkers.
To enjoy all of these samplers, and many more, visit the current CHS exhibition ConnecticutNeedlework: Women, Art, and Family, 1740-1840. The exhibition runs through March 29, 2011.
