Fine and Rare Silk Embroidered Sampler, Abigail Prince, Newburyport, Massachusetts, Dated 1801, Abigail Prince

Worked in lustrous silk stitches on a linen ground; signed at center, Abigail Prince A.E. 1801.

Garth's Auctions, April 5, 1983;

Stephen Score, Boston, Massachusetts

American Needlework Treasures: Samplers and Silk Embroideriees from the Collection of Betty Ring at the Museum of American Folk Art (p. 12, fig. 18)

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.

Abigail's sampler belongs to an important group worked in Newburyport from 1799 to 1806 (see ANTIQUES, September 1978, p. 545). Abigail Poor Prince (1788- before 1819) was the daughter of Ezekial Prince and Abigail Dresser of Newburyport. She married Benjamin Bucknam (b . 1781) of Falmouth on March 5,1810, and their third child was born in Eastport, Maine, in 1816. Bucknam married Abigail's sister Eliza Prince (b. 1800) on December 19, 1819.

After Abigail's death in 1818, he married her sister Elizabeth (1800-1876) on December 19, 1819, and they had four children. (Additional information provided by Carol and Stephen Huber).