Rare Needlework Sampler, Caroline Krouse (b. 1815), Reading, Pennsylvania, Dated 1826

Worked in silk and twisted silk threads on linen, (the whole within a quilled, silk ribbon border and corner rosettes) in satin, tent, queen, eyelet and cross-stitches. Inscribed: Protect Me Lord Amidst The Croud/From Ever'y Thought Thats Vain And Proud/And Raise My Wondering Mind To See/How Good It Is To Trust In Thee Caroline Krouse Her Work 1826. Appears to retain its original frame. 18 by 17 inches. (30 threads to the inch). Some fading and minor frayiing of silk ribbon.

Amy Finkel, Philadelphia, October, 1988

With some fading.
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. 105, fig. 46

This exceptional sampler is typical of a group believed by historians to have been worked in Reading, Pennsylvania. Caroline's embroidery is identical in format to the sampler worked by Catherine Heister in 1786.¹ Both girls lived in Berks County. A third related sampler was stitched by Elizabeth Marx in 1802.² So similar, in fact, are these three embroideries that it is possible to attribute their instruction to the same unidentified schoolmistress who, it would seem, kept a school for girls near Reading for a period of at least forty years. Two of the three embroideries have been elegantly set off with a frame of silk ribbon, each corner trimmed with a ribbon rosette. Traditionally, ribbon embellishment of this kind is found on samplers originating near Philadelphia and along the banks of the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers (figs. 13, 59). Caroline's teacher was a skillful designer. Following the long established custom of band motifs, she placed the most dramatic form, a wide strip of reversing vine, flowers, and buds, straight across the center of the linen. The equally deep band across the bottom of the center panel is also a distinctive element and balances the verse inscription. Individual flower designs are cleverly divided by geometric fountains of stitches, arranged in spiral-like pillars. Outlined in black or dark green threads for emphasis, the formal pattern here contrasts with the naturalistic blossoms in the band above. Executed in a variety of stitches, the sampler is an example of fine planning, as well as extraordinary technical expertise. Caroline Krouse worked the sampler when she was eleven years old. She was born on April 28, 1815, the first of six children, to John and Elizabeth Krouse of Reading, Pennsylvania.³ She was baptized Carolina Kraus on August 20, 1815. In the German Lutheran Church Records, her father's name was inscribed "Johan Kraus."⁴ 

 

1. The Heister sampler was in the Kapnek collection and is now in a private collection; see Krueger, Gallery of American Samplers, 28, 92. 

2. The Marx sampler is in the collection of the National Museum of History and Technology (Smithsonian Institution), Washington, D.C. 

3. International Genealogical Index. See also Federal Census, Reading, Pennsylvania, 1830. 

4. Records of the German Lutheran Church, Reading, PA.