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Elizabeth Mason's Sampler

American History Museum

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    Object Details

    maker

    Mason, Elizabeth

    Description

    Three block alphabets. No "J"; numbers to 18 and to 9; alphabets and numbers colored in groups of two. Rows of lettering and numbers separated by geometric crossbands; also two wide crossbands; one geometric strawberry vine, and one geometric vine with free-style roses, with guide-lines drawn under roses. At bottom of sampler, stag and doe on hillocks, surrounded by birds, butterflies, trees, flowers, under angular garland; stag and doe have satin-stitched collars. Name and date appear in flower-shaped medallion hanging from garland. Border of band of sawtoothed satin stitch and geometric carnation vine on all four sides. Silk embroidery thread on linen ground. STITCHES: cross, crosslet, stem, satin, Algerian eye, straight, bullion. THREAD COUNT: warp 36, weft 29/in.
    Inscriptions:
    "See How The Lillief[s] Flour White And Fair
    See How the Ravenf[s] Fed From Heavenf[s] Air
    Arif[s]e Thou King of Kingf[s] Arif[s]e And Reign
    Except Thy Worf[s]hip SprinG All Worf[s]hipf[s] Vain
    Elizabeth
    Maf[s]On her
    WOrk Ma
    de
    in the 11
    Year Of
    her ag
    1783"
    Background:
    Elizabeth Mason was probably from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area.

    Location

    Currently not on view

    Credit Line

    Gift of Gertrude D. Webster

    Date made

    1783

    ID Number

    TE.E391808

    catalog number

    E391808

    accession number

    71679

    Object Name

    sampler

    Physical Description

    linen (ground fabric material)
    silk (embroidery thread material)

    Measurements

    overall: 18 1/4 in x 16 1/8 in; 46.355 cm x 40.9575 cm

    Place Made

    United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

    See more items in

    Home and Community Life: Textiles
    Samplers
    Textiles

    Data Source

    National Museum of American History

    depicted

    Alphabets

    Metadata Usage

    CC0

    Link to Original Record

    https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746aa-969f-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

    Record ID

    nmah_639605

    Discover More

    Embroidery of the alphabet above a house with trees and a partially fenced lawn.

    American Samplers

    Embroidery of the alphabet above a house with trees and a partially fenced lawn.

    American Samplers

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