Sampler

Maker Harriet Clark

Period1838

MediumPlied silk thread on linen

Dimensions15.25 × 13.63 in. (38.7 × 34.6 cm)

SignedThe sampler is signed and dated "Harriet Clark / 1838."

ClassificationsNeedlework

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Julia Hartshorne Trask, 1946

Object number2084.44

DescriptionA broad rectangular sampler on finely woven bleached linen, worked in plied silk thread in medium green, grass green, golden brown, tan, oyster white, light blue, scarlet, rose, and pale yellow. The majority of the embroidery is done in cross stitch, with some areas of satin stitch noted. The sampler is neatly divided into several compartments, with a half-inch upper case alphabet from A to Z and an ampersand spacer worked along the top of the linen panel. Below is a half-inch lower case alphabet from a to z, with a double repeat band of zigzag stitching as a spacer. A third row comprised of a numeral run follows, from 1 to 25. Below the three rows of alphabets and numerals is a narrow verse panel reading "Let not the Morrow your vain thoughts employ / But think this Day the last you shall Enjoy." The verse is flanked in mirror image by several small motifs including a squirrel and a branched heart topped with a crown. The largest compartment features the Lord's Prayer, reading "OUR / Father which art in / Heaven Hallowed be thy / Name Thy Kingdom come Thy / Will be done in earth As it is in heaven / Give us this day our daily bread And / Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them / That trespass against us And lead us not / Into temptation But deliver us from evil / For thine is the kingom and The / Power and the glory for ever / And Ever Amen." At the bottom left of this section is the signature "Harriet Clark / 1838," and at right "E. Constable / Teacher." Mirror image motifs flank the Lord's Prayer, including a peeking angel, bold floral baskets with pairs of fluttering butterflies, a large vase with tulips, and a tiny robin. Bold bands of contrasting scarlet and pale yellow sawtooth satin stitch run across the top and bottom of the main section. The bottom compartment features an additional verse reading "Remember Time will come when we must give / Account to God how we on Earth do live." Additional small mirror image motifs flank the verse, including a tiny floral spray, a dog, and a miniature basket. A bold repeat band border frames the entire sampler, in a pattern of stylized floral sprays in panels, with starburst motifs worked at each corner. Half-inch wide strips of plain woven cotton have been sewn to all four edges of the linen sampler as a binding.
Curatorial RemarksJudging from the design and motifs used in this sampler, maker Harriet Clark may have lived in or around the Norfolk area of England. The sampler tradition in this area is highly distinctive, and was an enduring one. Samplers with similar motifs and patterns range in date from the 1730s through the 1830s. The highly structured division of spaces within the linen panel point to Norfolk or to a Norfolk influence, as does a number of the motifs, including the pert squirrels on either side of the upper verse. Harriet also included the name of her talented needlework instructress, noting "E. Constable" as "Teacher." The Association has a second Norfolk area sampler in its collection (see accession number 2084.3).

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