Sampler Practice Piece

Period1820 - 1830

MediumPlied silk thread on linen

Dimensions5 × 8.63 in. (12.7 × 21.9 cm)

ClassificationsNeedlework

Credit LineGift of Mrs. J. Amory Haskell, 1934

Object number708.10

DescriptionA rectangular sampler practice piece of open weave natural linen, with a selvedge on the right side, a raw edge at left, a narrow hem along the top edge, and an uneven and slanting hem along the bottom edge. Five motifs are worked in plied silk thread in medium green, grass green, steel blue, rosy tan, red, pale pink, and light blue. Embroidery stitches include cross and tent. At left, a bird, possibly a mourning dove, stands near a floral vine. A large floral basket is worked in the upper right area of the linen panel above a small single floral element. Naturalistic bluebells are embroidered in the lower right corner. The small single floral element was left unfinished and retains lengths of the green, red, and pink embroidery silk threads.
Curatorial RemarksThe motifs worked on this small practice piece present an interesting contrast in design approach. The small spray of bluebells in the lower right corner are rendered in a naturalistic fashion. The bird motif is also realistic, the multiple colors carefully detailed, and identifiable as a mourning dove. The floral basket in the upper right section is more stylized and geometric in form. The small floral element along the lower edge is unfinished and still retains some of the lengths of the silk thread. As this practice piece was never displayed and therefore was not subjected to fading, it is an unusual opportunity to glimpse the fineness and delicacy of the silks used in sampler making, as fresh and brightly colored as the day they were sewn.

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