Evening star., 1939-11-05
Mural Work and Sculpture Studies for Nations Public Buildings
OAR. Array
Of Samplers
1nnpresses
Gentle Decorative
Arts of Past Are
Now Recaptured

Arts of Past Are
Now Recaptured
By Florence S. Bergman.
The National Society, Daughters
OF the American Revolution, has
had for many years . museum in
Memorial Continental Hall. For
obvious reasons, the emphasis has
been on the historic aspects of the
objects on view. It Is dificult to
discern interests other than historic
and archaeological, In soldiers uni.
forms, weapons and other miscel.'
lanea, which have come to be as.
sociated with museums Of patriotic
organizations.
But in view of the surprising
growth and improvement Of the
D. A. r. Museum, Mrs. Willard
Steele Of Chattanooga, Tenn, Gu
rator general, has inaugurated q
series of exhibitions which will pre-.
sent various classes Of early Ameri-
can art drawn from the society's
collections.
"stitchery of Our Ancestors" an
exhibition of samplers from Colon
ial times to the mid-19th century,
Is the first group to be displayed.
1t was opened October %, and win
remain for three months. The ar
rangement and labelling are the
work Of Miss Helen S. johnson,
secretary Of the D. A. r. Museum,
who gives gallery talk on Stitch.
cry by Colonial Children" every FRI
day at 3:45 pm. After studying
the remarkably complete and inter-
esting labels she has made for the
exhibits, one is not surprised to
learn that Miss johnson received
her training under the apprentice
system Of the Newark Museum. No
matter how many ancestral sam.
piers he has on the walls of his own
home, the visitor will probably learn
more than he has ever before known
about samplers. merely from read.
ing these labels.
Samplers are properly included
among the arts. They required Of
their makers the ability to conven.
tionalize their designs in a manner
suitable to the medium, to combine
various colors attractively, to com.
pose the elements we'll In a cir.
cumscribed space, and, of course, to
execute different kinds of stitches.
One wonders whether the average
person knows that samplers" were
originally examples" or samples"
to preserve stitches as patterns for
the makers future use, just as Sill
versmiths kept patterns of their de.
signs, or architects kept working
drawings Of details. The stitches
involved in white lace cut work, for
instance ION early samplers) were
used for decorating the neck ruffs
OF Elizabethan England, which was
probably the birthplace Of the sam.
pier. Although Shakespeare men.
toned samplers, as Miss Johnson
reminds us, no 10th century sam.
piers exist. Seventeenth century
samplers are the best expression Of
this intimate art; they remain un.
surpassed for excellence of design
and perfection of execution. ENG
llsh women were inspired by the
roses, carnations and strawberries
OF their own gardens (these being
the motifs most frequently encoun.
tered and other objects close at
hand, and their sisters who came to
America, brought the same homely
inspirations.
The earliest known sampler made
IN America was stitched by Can't.
Miles Standish's daughter; It Is rep.
resented IN the present D. A. r. ex.
hlbition by photograph (the onlv
one included). But little such work
was done here in the 18th century.
when more rigorous chores con-
sumed the women's time.
During the following century an
American type of sampler developed,
strongly dominated by practical con.
siderations. The alphabet, rarely
found In 18th century samplers, was
Increasingly incorporated In 18th
century samplers: the letters were
useful In marking linens and cloth.
ing. Furthermore, children began to
make samplers at q tender age.
stitching the A B C's from their
horn books. An interesting item in
the present show is IN early 18th
century sampler by Sarah johnson,
aged S; it is worked with "crewel,"
the fine colored yarn imported from
England, and many of its colors still
are fresh and clear. In its lower
portion are coronets Of various ranks
IN the English nobility. Beside It
hangs q larger, more impressive
sampler worked by a 9-year-old girl,
with exceedingly fine and even cross
and long stitches. Within an elab.
crate flower border are two panels,
containing the Lords Prayer and
the Greed, just as they were seen
IN adjoining panels in Anglican
churches Of the period.
Style ruled samplers, quite as in
domitably as 1t rules costume and
numerous other arts. Toward the
end OF the 18th century samplers
worked IN black on q natural-col.
ored web became the vogue. Sew.
eral Of these are shown in the D. A.
r. Museum. The writer also has
one of these black-embroidered
samplers, done in 1874, by q French
child whose parents had fied to
England from the revolution.
The D. A. r. exhibition has sam.
piers by women and children Of
various origins. The English al.
ready have been mentioned; In ad.
dition, there are examples by Penn.
sylvania Germans and French
Huguenots Of Virginia and Ken.
lucky.
Quality