Four Needlework Samplers: Two by Hannah Baker, Dated 1803 and 1813, Esther and Hannah Tomlinson, both dated 1807

The first a band sampler in black thread on a linen ground dated 1803. 8 1/4  by 8 inches, signed Hannah Baker, the second worked in cream cotton on green linsey-woolsey in a Darning pattern. 9 1/4  by 8 3/4  inches; and two needlework samplers, Esther and Hannah Tomlinson, Windsor, by Berks County, Pennsylvania, dated 1807. Worked with silk threads on linen in outline, satin and cross-stitches. Inscribed: Windsor Township Berks C./Esther Tomlinson/1807; Hannah Tomlinson, 1807. Some minor discolorations. 10 by 11 3/4  inches. (38 to 42 threads to the inch). 4 pieces.

See catalogue note at sothebys.com

Hannah Baker- Skinner's, Bolton, Massachusetts, March, 1982
Esther and Hanna Thomlinson- Jan Schaefer Antiques, Pennsylvania, September, 1980

Hannah Tomlinson: with repairs and some staining. Ester Tomlinson: some discoloration.
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. 118, fig. 55, 56.

The Tomlinson samplers represent a style of sampler embroidery particular to Quaker schools located near the Delaware River Valley. Their unidentified schoolmistress teaching in Windsor, Pennsylvania, may, as a student, have attended Westtown School in Chester County, for the distinctive black silk oval and vine-and-leaf format is thought to have originated at that school.¹ In this instance, however, the absence of the characteristic boxy Quaker alphabet suggests that these examples were stitched in a local school, more influenced by Quaker design than by specific Quaker instruction. As has been noted, Quaker patterns inspired non-Quaker teachers, who often imitated the distinctive styles. These samplers may be the product of such a receptive schoolmistress. The village of Windsor, established in 1752, borders on the Schuylkill River, north of Reading. Esther and Hannah were probably the daughters of John Tomlinson and Martha Wiley, who were married in 1777. Esther married Enoch Penrose on August 28, 1812,² When John Tomlinson died in 1826, he listed his daughter, Esther Penrose, as wife of Enoch. There is no mention of Hannah, who probably died before the will was written in 1825.³ The condition of the samplers and the construction of the frames hints at further information about Hannah. Esther's sampler is in fine condition, and the frame is of an early period, while the sampler worked by Hannah looks as though it had been carelessly set aside in a trunk or drawer. There is evidence of staining and wear, although, at some stage, it was thoughtfully mended in an effort to preserve its historical value. The frame on this sampler is a twentieth-century construction. Even though these sisters attended the same school at the same time, it is apparent that one sampler was treated with special care, probably by the maker as a souvenir of her youth. 

 

1. Ring, "Samplers and Pictorial Needlework," 1425, 1428. See also Ring, American Needlework Treasures, 43. 

2. Will Book, Berks County, vol. 5 (Lightfoot Collection, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia), 559. Records indicate that John Tomlinson was "disowned" by the Friends before marriage. Martha Wiley was not a Quaker. 

3. Ibid.