EMBROIDERED COAT OF ARMS OF THE CUSHING FAMILY, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, CIRCA 1750

Collection of Virginia B. Lowry, Gladwyne, Pennsylvania;
Freeman's Auctions, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 17, 2007, lot 207.

Some stain and losses. In original frame with original linen backing and backboard
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.
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About these rare and important examples of school girl needlework, Betty Ring had the following to say:

"Boston embroidered coats of arts are the most unique, personal and richly worked evidence of schoolgirl work to survive in large numbers from 18th century America. Like pastoral embroideries in canvas work, the majority were created as elegant and prestigious household decorations by young girls who were finishing their educations in Boston.

Probably the mostly costly embroideries undertaken by American schoolgirls, they were unquestionably peculiar to families of wealth and prominence, who did not hesitate to display arms as status symbols.  As posited by Mrs. Ring, the families whose young daughters were stitching these elegant embroidered coats of arms, were the same families that were commissioning fine silver from Paul Revere and Jacob Hurd, carved frames from John Welsh and portraits by John Singleton Copley."

For further information, see Betty Ring, “Heraldic Embroidery in eighteenth-century Boston, The Magazine Antiques, April, 1992 pp. 622-631.