Rare Silk Embroidered and Painted Map Sampler, Polly Platt, Athens, New York, dated 1809

Delicately worked in fine silk and chenille stitches on a silk ground; inscribed on the glass POLLY PLATT, ATHENS, JULY 10 1809.

Mrs. J. Armory Haskell, a sale at Sotheby's, December 6-9, 1944;

Joe Kindig, York, Pennsylvania, June 1965.

American Needlework Treasures: Samplers and Silk Embroideries from the Collection of Betty Ring at the Museum of American Folk Art  (p. 33, fig. 53)

Some minor discoloration of silk and stitches (garland center bottom); crack in lower left glass corner; original frame, wallpaper backing and original framer's label: Isaac L. Platt, Broadway, New York.
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.

Polly's map belongs to the largest-known group of American map samplers.  These pieces have continents or countires outlined in chenille, lettering worked in black sil, and shorelines edged with blue paint. They are attributed to "the Boarding School for Female Education of Pleasant Valley," Dutchess County, that was begun by three Quaker women in 1803 (Poughkeepsie Journal & Constitutional Republican, June 7, 1803), and continued until about 1828. The school's advertisements in Poughkeepsie and Connecticut newspapers consistently mentioned "Working maps" as well as "most kinds of Needle Work". Polly Platt of Athens, Greene County, was probably related to frame maker Isaac L. Platt, who was born in nearby Freehold. A town name on a sampler generally refers to the place where it was made. Some girls, however, named their hometowns rather than their school's location, and this was evidently true of these map samplers.