Rare Needlework Sampler, Ann W. Dickinson, Cumberland County, New Jersey, Dated 1827

Worked with silk, twisted silk threads and crinkled silk floss on linen in satin, queen, outline, stem and cross-stitches. Inscribed: Ann W Dickinson/1827. Some darkening of linen. 16 1/2  by 19 1/2  inches. (26 threads to the inch).

See catalogue note at sothebys.com

Blanche Moss, Los Angeles, California, June, 1987

With some fading and 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, pp.131-132, fig. 63

Readily identified by their conspicuous, uniformly shaped poplar trees, a specific group of samplers can be attributed to the southern section of New Jersey. A comparison of samplers known to have originated there reveals that a number of New Jersey schoolmistresses tended to include this specific tree motif in their embroidery designs.¹ Ann Dickinson's teacher has made use of this pattern in her stylish sampler format, placing one in the yard to the side and two crowding over the shingled roofline of the house, forming dark green wedges in the sky. This deliberate arrangement of rich green coloration begins at the terraced lawn, finds its way through the arched doorway and the closed and fastened window shutters, and peaks like a pyramid in the topmost M formed by the silhouette of the trees. It is an astonishingly effective, very dramatic device. Uncluttered and stunningly pictorial in nature, Ann's sampler depicts a charming four-bay house, whose unsheathed windows disclose their finely delineated panes. Particular to this unidentified school is the bold geometry of the widely spaced strawberry border, in which the repeated use of deep-toned, green silk thread enhances the thick angular stems and leaf motifs. Stitched in this conspicuous manner, the vine-patterned border becomes an integral part of the total design, a daring concept rarely found in sampler embroidery. Fencing, trees, baskets of flowers, and isolated bouquets complete this exceptional embroidery. Characteristic of a form of schoolgirl needlework now believed to have been stitched in the vicinity of Cumberland County, New Jersey, two samplers have recently surfaced that repeat the same distinctive pattern. The samplers are unquestionably related. One of them was worked in 1828, by Rhoda Mulford, of Cumberland County,² who kindly included family initials to assist in her identification. Rhoda's house displays similar, although not identical window treatment. In a somewhat whimsical display, some of the windows have been left open, while others are shuttered, thereby revealing the teacher-designer's delight in playing with the building's facade, and leaving a "behind the scenes" impression of subtle, unexpected amusement. The second of these newly found samplers was worked by an unidentified child. This delightful embroidery belongs to the same school of work and was stitched during the same period, at the same New Jersey school, under the direction of the same, as yet unidentified, instructress. Three of the upper-story windows are shuttered, one open. Below, two are open and one is playfully left closed.³ Ann W. Dickinson is probably the same Ann Dickinson who married John Snitcher in Salem County, New Jersey, in 1834.⁴ 

 

1. Ring, American Needlework Treasures, 34. 

2. The .Mulford sampler is in a private collection; see Sotheby's, New York, catalogue, Important American Furniture, Folk Art, Silver, Chinese Export Porcelain, Rugs, 5282, January 31-February 2,1985, lot 366. This sampler was researched by Sheila Rideout, placing the child in Cumberland County. See also J1aine Antiques Digest (February 1986), advertisement. 

3. The location of this sampler is unknown; see .Maine Antiques Digest (June 1981), advertisement. 

4. Marriage Records, Salem County, New Jersey, compiled by H. Stanley Craig (Merchantville, NJ, 1928), 169.