Fine and Rare "Fishing Lady" Canvaswork Picture, Piping Shepherd and Shepherdess
Boston, Massachusetts, Circa 1740-1770
Finely wrought, silk and wool embroidery on linen ground, tent stich
Attributed to the Boston School of “Fishing Lady” Needlework. This needlework displaying an upright couple within an elaborate pastoral landscape featuring animals and flowers; depicted is a man in red coat with horn followed by a running dog, and a lady wearing a pink striped dress carrying floral basket on her head and staff in her hand. The work includes flanking trees, birds and butterflies; a black and white spotted dog, three lambs, and flowering plants, all before a large house on hillock issuing smoke from chimney. LITERATURE: A closely related needlework picture dated 1746, (Winterthur collection), is illustrated in Betty Ring'sGirlhood Embroidery, volume I, page 46, figure 43. Betty mentions another in Historical Society of Old Newbury. (The work remains on original stretcher and is mounted within a period frame that may also be original; some thread thinning and fading, else fine and original;
frame: 23 x 17.25”; view: 19.75 x 14”)
$39,750.00
1202-14
Antique Sampler, Newport Needlework Sampler, Mary Casey, 1763
Newport, Rhode Island gambrel-roofed house with young ladies peering from
windows…"Mary Casey is my name and with my needle wrought -------- eighth
year of my age / Anno Dom 1763”
Worked in silk threads on a linen ground; inscribed "Mary Casey is my name and with
my needle wrought" [and verse], finely wrought featuring a Newport gambrel-roofed
house having twin chimneys, a brown door and ladies peering from windows…all
withing a garden scene. Also displayed are three alphabets, bands of verse and central
band of stylized trees, flowers and birds, all within a trailing floral vine and saw-tooth
border done in shades of green, blue, yellow, brownish-red, and tan.
This sampler is closely related to a sampler wrought by Mary Emmes in 1764
that is in the Newport Preservation Society collection.
As depicted, scattered thread losses to alphabets and verse, otherwise the work
remains bright and fine. Conservation mounted with a modern Hogarth type frame
having overall dimensions of 16.5” by 23”.
$9,650.00
156-9
Embroidery After Thomas Lawrence’s 1794 Portrait of Sarah Goodin Barrett Moulton, AKA Pinkie
Anonymous, likely circa 1800-18601 (Frame: 3 7/8 by 4 7/7"; needlework: 2 1/8 by 3 1/8”)
Silk on linen laid on paper centered by embossed foil border2 mounted within a period frame3
The original portrait hangs in the permanent collection of the Huntington Library at San Marino, California.
The painting is an elegant depiction of Sarah Moulton, who sat for the painting at about eleven years of
age. Sarah was born on 22 March 1783, in Little River, St. James, Jamaica…the only daughter and eldest
child of Charles Moulton, and his wife Elizabeth. Sarah was baptized 29 May 1783, bearing the names
Sarah Goodin Barrett in honor of her aunt, Sarah Goodin Barrett, who died as an infant in 1781. She was a
descendant of Hersey Barrett, who had arrived in Jamaica in 1655 with Sir William Penn; by 1783, the
Barrett’s were wealthy landowners, slave owners, and exporters of sugar cane and rum. Within the family
she was known as Pinkie or Pinkey.
By the time Sarah was six, her father had left the family, her mother was left to raise the children, Sarah
and her brothers Edward (1785–1857) and Samuel (1787–1837), with the help of her relatives. In
September 1792, Sarah and her brothers sailed to England for a better education. Sarah was sent to Mrs.
Fenwick's school at Flint House, Greenwich, along with other children from Jamaican colonial families. On
16 November 1793 Sarah's grandmother, Judith Barrett, wrote from Jamaica to her niece Elizabeth Barrett
Williams, then living on Richmond Hill in Surrey, asking her to commission a portrait of 'my dear little Pinkey
… as I cannot gratify my self [sic] with the Original, I must beg the favour of you to have her picture drawn
at full length by one of the best Masters, in an easy Careless attitude'. Sarah probably began sitting for
Lawrence, painter-in-ordinary to George III, at his studio in Old Bond Street soon after the receipt of this
letter on 11 February 1794.
One year later, on 23 April 1795, Sarah died at Greenwich, aged 12. A letter from her grandmother, dated 6
November 1794, mentions her recent recovery from a cough, which may have contributed to her death.
She was buried on 30 April 1795 in the doctor's vault under the parish church of St Alfege, Greenwich.
Her portrait by Lawrence was displayed in the Royal Academy exhibition of 1795, which opened the day
after her burial. The picture remained in the family's possession until 1910.
1 We have looked for similar works with no success; not sure if it is unique, a pastime
or a souvenir.
2 The foil is under beveled matt
3 Frame is of eastern white pine, original paint, original rabbet size
$1,250
1072-51
Antique Needlework Sampler, Harriet N. Crowell, East Haddam, Connecticut, 1826
Silk on linen
Harriet N. Crowell (1815-1897) stitched this sampler at age 10 while living in Connecticut. At the bottom
is a blue center hall house which appears on other Connecticut samplers from the area. She included an
unfinished verse which we should live by. “Count the day lost whose low descending sun, Views from thy
hand no worthy action done.” Her family moved to New York then to Bradford, Pennsylvania where she,
at age 19, married Samuel Benedict in 1835. She and Samuel had 8 children all born in Bradford,
Pennsylvania. (18” x 13” sight, 19 ½” x 14 ½” framed.
$3,975.00
324-64
Antique Needlework Sampler, Margarete Allen, Born 1721
America or England
A neatly worked sampler, silk on linen; the marking sampler showing various stitches, alphabets and
embroidery. (Very good condition; 11.5" x 8" sight)
$3,100.00
324-61
Period Silk and Watercolor Embroidery, Fame Places Flowers at Shakespeare’s Tomb
Anonymous, English, Circa 1795, Very good condition, (14.5” by 17”)
Based on An Engraving by Bartolozzi, After Drawing by Angelica Kaufmann
Francesco Bartolozzi (1727-1815) was an Italian engraver, whose most productive period was spent in
London; founder of Royal Academy of Arts.
Swiss artist Angelica Kauffmann (1741-1807), moved to London in 1766 and was one of two women
artists who helped found the Royal Academy; Kauffmann produced several Shakespeare-themed
paintings, large and small, many of which were circulated widely as prints.
$695.00
1253-5
Antique Sampler, Hannah Pickard, 1798, Age 10, New England
Life is wasting. Death is hasting.
Silk on linen
(16.25" x 12.25" sight)
$2,800.00
324-60
Antique Needlework Sampler & Family Record, Rebecca Lund, New Hampshire
Dunstable, New Hampshire (Now Nashua)
Rebecca J. Lund, 1822
Rebecca worked this beautiful graphic family register sampler that records her
immediate family. Neatly compartmentalized register and alphabets centered by a lovely
floral border and surmounted with basket of flowers all above the lowers section
displaying houses, trees, birdhouse, birds and urn of flowers. Rebecca was the
youngest of eleven children born to Augustus Lund and Johanna (Smith) Lund all from
Dunstable, NH which is now Nashua, NH. She married James Underwood Parker in
January 1835 in her hometown. They had six children in 15 years. She died on October
13, 1897, in Springfield, Massachusetts, having lived a long life of 88 years, and was
buried in Manchester, New Hampshire.
(Silk on linen; 23.25” x 20.75” sight.)
$5,600.00
324-58
Antique Sampler: Martha Barron Pickering,
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1828
Wrought by Miss. Martha Barron Pickering,
Aged 11 Years, May 27th, 1828
Worked with silk threads and silk floss on linen
The stylistic format of Martha Pickering’s sampler-featuring a distinctive birdhouse and pyramid-shaped trees-was employed in Portsmouth as early as 1810 and continued to be favored until 1840. Works from this group include the month, day, and year that the sampler was embroidered. A picket fence attaches the house to barn; a single bird is usually perched on the gatepost, and a birdhouse (with chimney) is mounted on a pole elevated above the barns roof; there is a bird perched on the roofs peak. Anotherschool tradition is the use of trees, they are always wrought in odd numbers of one, three, or five, depending on available space based on the width of the sampler; foliage is embroidered cross-stitches. Depicted in this work is a bird atop the center tree. This needlework sampler remains in superb original condition and is archivally mounted within an attractive modern frame.
(Frame: 21" x 20"; view: 17.5" x 16.5")
$4,350.00
1268-2
Antique Sampler: Elizabeth McGibbon,
Aged 8 Years, 1828, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Wrought by the instruction of M. Brooks
Potted flowers and trees on hillock within strawberry border centering four alphabets, verse and stitchery samplings.
(Stained as depicted; Frame: 18.5" x 22.75"; view: 17" x 21.25")
$2,800.00
1268-1
Antique Sampler, Elizabeth Foster,
Aged 9, 1849
Neatly worked within a floral border are three alphabets, verse and finely wrought traveling man and his dog. The work is mounted within a period frame.
(Fine original condition: frame: 16.25 x 16.25"; view: 12 x 12")
$635.00
862-13
Antique Sampler, Hester Witcomb, Aged 14,
Subscription School, Mells,
1818
Mells, Somerset, England
Marking sampler with three alphabets in fine original condition
(Archivally mounted within a modern frame; Frame: 16.25 x 16.25"; view: 12 x 12")
$455.00
862-17
Antique Sampler, Martha Congdon, 1822, Aged 13
New England…clean and bright, silk on linen
Frequently samplers remain unfinished as is the case with Martha’s work; it is always a mystery but it often, as in this case, results in the work surviving in excellent condition. We did check death records to see if Martha might have died in 1822 or shortly thereafter but couldn't find anything. We have attributed this sampler to New Hampshire based on the similarity in design to other documented samplers from New Hampshire (including another that we know featuring a very similar yellow house and overall composition). There were also several Congdon families living in the state at the time the sampler was made. However, the only specific references we could find to Martha Congdon born in the right year were t girls from Rhode Island, Connecticut and Vermont. So, "New England" would be very safe or even "Northern New England" as we believe a New Hampshire or Vermont origin is more likely than Connecticut or Rhode Island.
(Very Fine original condition; frame: 20.5 x 19"; view: 18 x 16.5")
$1,195.00
1253-24
New England Schoolgirl Floral Embroidery, Vacant Family Record
Anonymous, Early 19th-Century,
Silk on silk
Nested birds, birds perched on trees above figures flanked by trees; a cenotaph-like urn festooned with ribbon and bowknots centered by dog and bird…these vignettes centering vacant center…all within an elaborate floral border. Unfortunately, the center section worked in pencil remains unfinished. There are minor losses to border not effecting embroidery; toning, and stains. There is minor thread loss limited to center. The work is mounted within an appropriate non-period frame. With some work it is likely that the penciled record may be identified; appears to be a family named Perry.
(Frame: 22 x 18.5"; view: 19 x 16")
$2,250
1032-192
Seventeenth Century Band Sampler Featuring Three Outstanding Female Figures Worked in Sophisticated Detached Needle Lace Stitches and Techniques
Outstanding Design and Execution of Rarely Encountered Costumed Figures
1678 (R. Cormel)
Curios embroidered overlay is found at center of band under alphabet; a similar treatment conforms to the ladies’ heads continuing to shoulders. (Appears to be period)
A circa 1675 English spot motif and band sampler with similarly wrought lady is in the Fitzwilliam Museum Collection (Object Number: T.57-1928) This needlework is ex Glee Krueger, second acquisition; 1964. (Likely reduced in length; not examined out of frame. Archival mounted within frame by Perry Hopf. Frame: 17 by 11”, sight-size: 13 by 7.5”)
$7,250
1032-190
Embroidered Picture
Anonymous
Circa 1800
Silk on silk with watercolor
The work remains in good condition with only fading and scattered staining. (Frame: 19.5 x 18 inches; view: 15.5 x 14 inches)
$1,275
413-16
Needlework, Antique Sampler
Possibly Norwich, Connecticut - SOLD
Silk on linen, framed in a reproduction period frame.
(Dimensions: 11.5 by 15" frame, 7.25 by 10.5" sight-size)
SOLD
1032-130
Needlework, Sampler, Matilda Peters
Possibly Vermont, 1807
Silk on linen with strawberry border and verse
The Request
Give me a calm & thankful / heart / From ev’ry murmer
Free / The blessing of thy grace imp/art / And make me
Live to thee / Let the sweet hope that thou art mine / My
life and death attend / The presence thro my Journ/ey
shine / And crown my Jouney end.
(Frame: 12.25 by 17.25", sight-size: 10.25 by 15.25")
$550
1032-125
Needlework, Sampler, Elizabeth Heyberger
Silk on linen
Cross, eyelet, and queen stitch. Five upper case alphabets and one lowercase.
(Dimensions: 14.5 by 13.75" frame, 13 by 12.25" sight-size)
$495
1032-135
Needlework, Sampler, Ames Chers Parens (Dear Parents)
French, 1835
Silk on linen
(Dimensions: 13.5 by 14" frame, 10.25 by 10.75" sight-size)
$395
1032-134
Needlework, Sampler, Elizabeth R. Glover
Silk on linen marking sampler, not dated
Framed in later birdseye maple frame.
(Dimensions: 13 by 10" frame, 10.5 by 7.5" sight-size)
$350
1032-126
Needlework, Sampler, Sarah Hazzard
Springfield, New Hampshire, 1807
Silk on linen, marking sampler with minor losses.
"SARAH * HAZZARD'S SAMPLER * AUGUST * / 22 * 1807"
Family history available.
(Dimensions: 11.5 by 13.5" frame, sight-size: 9.5 by 11.5")
$295
1032-132
Marking Sampler with Obedience to Parents Verse, Eliza Holdrich, 1822
(Mounted within late frame measuring 10 by 12”, sight-size: 8.75 by 10.75”)
$295
1096-68
Beadwork, Boy with Dog
Glass beads
Dimensions: 8.24 by 6.5".
$195
1032-68
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