Sampler

Period1825

MediumPlied and flat silk thread on natural linen

DimensionsSight: 17.5 × 15.75 in. (44.5 × 40 cm)

SignedThe sampler includes the place and date "Shrewsbury Aug. 7 1825" following the alphabet lines, and the inscription line along the bottom "Harriet R. Harrington Aged 15 years."

ClassificationsNeedlework

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Julia Hartshorne Trask, 1946

Object number2084.38

DescriptionA square sampler worked on a gauzy natural linen panel in both plied and flat silk threads in black, dark brown, medium brown, light brown, medium green, light green, golden tan, and off white. The embroidery is worked in cross, satin, chain, stem, and plait stitches. Six rows of alphabets are worked in dark brown cross stitch, beginning with a large 3/4 inch upper case italic alphabet, from A through N on the first line, O through Z on the second. On the third line starts a half-inch upper case alphabet, from A through R, finishing with S through Z, ampersand, and numerals 1 through 9 and 0 on the fourth line. On the fifth line runs a half-inch lower case alphabet from a through x, finishing on the sixth and final line with y and z. Immediately following is the inscription "Shrewsbury Aug. 7 1825," with a single heart motif worked after the year in off-white flat silk. Each alphabet row is delineated by a simple band motif, with a stepped dagged edge band beneath the last row. On the lower portion of the sampler is worked a pictorial scene, with a sturdy house featuring a front door with fanlight, door handle, and door knocker, shuttered windows, and a pair of chimneys. A very large bird perches atop the right corner of the roof. A large and stylized floral plant grows along the right side of the house. To the left of the house stands a leafy tree, with two small birds resting amid the branches. a small picket fence runs along the front of the tree, with an arched gateway on which another bird perches. A large single tulip blossom grows to the left of the tree.Under the scene are three clusters of leafy sprays, below which runs the signature line "Harriet R. Harrington Aged 15 years." A second single heart motif is worked at the end of the line. A lush and leafy floral and foliate vine border is worked along the left, top, and right edges in glossy flat silk thread. A narrow outer border consists of a dagged band worked in off-white flat silk thread highlighted with an edging of tiny light blue cross stitches in plied silk thread.
Curatorial RemarksWocester County, Massachusetts, resident Hannah R. Harrington of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, produced this lovely sampler in 1825 at the age of fifteen. Her embroidery combines both plied and flat silk threads to great advantage, the glossy satin-stitched areas providing a contrast to the precise cross-stitched lettering. Hannah worked a good deal of detail into her pictorial scene, providing the front door of the house with a fanlight, door knocker, and even a door handle. Hannah also worked two single hearts into her sampler, one immediately following the year the sampler was made, and the second after her name and age.NotesHarriet Rebecca Harrington was born on 11 September 1809, a daughter of Martin Harrington (1784 - 1851) and Lucinda Temple (b. 1787) of Shrewsbury, Worcester County, Massachusetts. The couple had been married in Shrewsbury on 19 June 1808. By 1830, census records indicate that Martin Harrington had relocated his family to nearby Grafton. The 18 June 1831 edition of the Columbian Centinel of Boston carried the following marriage notice, "In Grafton, Mr. Arthur Clark of Providence (R. I.) to Miss Harriet Harrington of G." The 1850 census schedule revealed that Martin and Lucinda were then living in Grafton with their son Walter, his wife Melissa, and young son James. The Clarks may have moved to New York City, where an Arthur Clark (b. ca. 1801) was listed in the 1870 census as a retired merchant with his wife Harriet (b. ca. 1810), who was keeping house. He owned real estate valued at $50,000, with a personal estate appraised at $10,000. Both had been born in Massachusetts.

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