Object Details
maker
Bruce, Betsy
Description
The name “Betsy Bruce” appears at end of one alphabet. Below the alphabets is the inscription:
"Seize Mortals seize the present hour Lifes a short summer
Man’s a flower he dies alas how soon he dies. E. B. 14 Y.”
The “E.B.” may stand for her sister Eveline Bruce who died July 21, 1817.
Man’s a flower he dies alas how soon he dies. E. B. 14 Y.”
The “E.B.” may stand for her sister Eveline Bruce who died July 21, 1817.
Betsy Bruce’s inscription is an adaptation of an Ode for Winter by English poet Samuel Johnson (1709-1784). The sampler is stitched with silk and cotton embroidery thread on a linen ground with a thread count of warp 22, weft 22/ in. The stitches used are cross, Algerian eye, and crosslet
Betsy Bruce was born on September 2, 1809, in Marlborough, Vermont to Rev. Mansfield and Grace Goddard Bruce. She married Origen Smith (1810-1884) on May 11, 1837. They had two children - Irenaeus OP born on February 5, 1841, and Elizabeth, born c.1845. Betsy died on October 4, 1882.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of Miss Grace L. Temple
date made
1822-1824
ID Number
TE.T7729A
catalog number
T7729A
accession number
139053
Object Name
embroidery, sampler
sampler
Physical Description
linen (ground material)
silk and cotton (threads material)
Measurements
overall: 12 in x 12 1/4 in; 30.48 cm x 31.115 cm
place made
United States: Vermont, Marlboro
See more items in
Home and Community Life: Textiles
Samplers
Textiles
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_639573