Rare Needlework Sampler, Eleanor Caroline Malone, Massachusetts, Circa 1820

Worked with silk threads and crinkled silk floss on linen with eyelet, long, satin, chain and cross-stitches. Inscribed: O may I with myself agree/And never covet what I see/content me with an humble shade/My passions tam'd my wishes laid/ Wrought by/Eleanor Caroline Malone aged 8 years [date removed]. Some darkening and fading. 16 1/4  by 15 3/4  inches. (30 stitched to the inch).

Estelle Horowitz from Connie Bergendoff, Old Lyme, New Hampshire, December, 1980

Somewhat dark and with a repair to lower right.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Exhibited and Literature: LACMA, p. 60, fig. 18

This remarkable sampler, worked by Eleanor Caroline Malone at the age of eight, was probably stitched in the vicinity of Essex County, Massachusetts. Sometime later in life, Eleanor was prompted by vanity to remove the date on her sampler. A large number of sampler embroideries underwent similar alterations as their makers grew to adulthood. Eleanor's sampler has a finely stitched border of rosebuds and shaded leaves, with a woven basket of country flowers at the center top. A green field with a luxurious house and a large, strangely contoured tree dominate the foreground. The shape of the tree, though not the method of stitchery, is reminiscent of earlier samplers worked in Salem, as is the crinkled thread with which the sampler was stitched.