Sampler
Maker
Elizabeth VanDerveer
Period1851
MediumPlied wool thread on linen
DimensionsSight: 24.75 × 19.38 in. (62.9 × 49.2 cm)
SignedThe sampler is signed "Elizabeth VanDerveer / aged 10 years / Freehold June 8th 1851."
ClassificationsNeedlework
Credit LineGift of the Throckmorton Family in Memory of Robert Rhea Throckmorton, 1984
Object number1984.3
DescriptionA large rectangular sampler worked on a sturdy linen ground in plied wool thread in bright shades of red, pink, sage green, olive green, dark green, medium bue, pale yellow, tan (which may have originally been purple), black, and cream white. Embroidery stitches include cross, satin, and Algerian eyelet. The upper half of the sampler includes five separate alphabets on eight lines, beginning with a half-inch upper case alphabet from A to Z, with Z worked backwards, a 7/8 inch upper case cursive alphabet from A to Z, ending with numerals 1 through 9 and 0, a one-inch satin-stitched upper case alphabet from A to Z, with Z worked backwards, a one-inch eyelet-stitched upper case alphabet from A To Y, and a one-inch lower case alphabet from a to z. A variety of linear borders separates the alphabet lines and are worked in cross, herringbone, and cross stitches. The lower half of the sampler includes a large central full-blown rose spray flanked by two rose wreaths. Below these motifs is the inscription "Elizabeth VanDerveer / aged 10 years / Freehold June 8th 1851," flanked on the left by a lily spray and on the right by a cluster of morning glories. A strawberry vine border runs along all four sides.Curatorial RemarksElizabeth VanDerveer's large-scale sampler reflects the popularity of Berlin wool work embroidery of the mid 19th century. Also known as "canvas work" or "tapestry," this form of needlework relied on brightly-colored chemically-dyed wool yarns to produce attractive household decorations. Sturdy enough to be used for chair or cushion covers and even slippers, Berlin wool work largely supplanted the earlier tradition of plied silk thread embroidery on linen as a means for a young woman to show her prowess with a needle. Commercially printed and colored patterns, such as the one both Elizabeth and her older sister Jane Ann used for their samplers, could be purchased and reused by teachers and individuals alike. Many women's publications such as Godey's Lady's Book regularly included instructions for small household ornaments and personal accessories to be done in Berlin wool work. NotesTen year old Elizabeth VanDerveer of Freehold, Monmouth County, completed her wool work sampler in early June of 1851. Her older sister, Jane Ann VanDerveer (1839 - 1917), had worked a virtually identical sampler in October of the following year (see accession 1995.9.2). Elizabeth was one of eight children of John H. VanDerveer (1810 - 1896) and Jane Schenck Smock (1809 - 1892). Elizabeth remained single and died in 1920 at the age of seventy-eight from heart trouble. She was interred with her parents and sister Hetty at Maplewood Cemetery in Freehold. Elizabeth VanDerveer enrolled as a day student at the prestigious Freehold Young Ladies Seminary. She and her older sister Jane Anne began their studies there in 1856. Jane Ann attended for a single year, while Elizabeth seems to have continued for another year. Surviving course descriptions of the institution emphase academics, music and art, but there is no mention of needlework. Elizabeth and Jane Ann had completed their samplers several years before their entrance into the Seminary. So the VanDerveer girls must have received instruction from another local teacher or school in which needlework was part of the curriculum. A minor but interesting discrepancy can be seen in the last two digits of the year of completion. While Elizabeth's entire signature and date line is worked in black wool thread, the upper portion of the "5" and the "1" are worked in plied cotton thread. It is possible that Elizabeth ran out of her supply of wool, so finished the date with cotton of a slightly different color.
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