Catalina Juliana Mason's Sampler
date: label: Date made
content: 1836
name: label: maker
content: Mason, Catalina Juliana
notes: label: Description
content: In center, urn surrounded by wreath and flanked by words of inscription. Around center panel, on all four sides, eight geometric borders. Silk thread on cotton ground. STITCHES: -cross, satin, stem, herringbone, triple herringbone, fishbone, pulled thread, open chain variation. THREAD COUNT: warp 59 weft 47/in.<br>
label: Description
content: <B>Inscription:</B><br>
label: Description
content: Over the urn in the center panel:<br>"VIVA<br>YSABEL ZA"<br>flanking the urn and wreath in the center panel:<br>"LO HIZO CATA-<br>LINA MA-<br>SON DIS-<br>CIPULA<br>D DA AM<br>BROSIA<br>MARTIN<br>EZ EN LA<br>ACADEMIA DE PUERTO RICO A 21 DE MA-<br>YO DE 1836<br>Y SELO DEDY<br>CA A SU PA-<br>PA BALOR,<br>CONSTAN<br>SIA Y APLI-<br>CACION<br>CON LA ESPE<br>RIENCIA H<br>EGARA A CON"<br> The translation of the inscription is "Long Live Isabel II. This was made by Catalina Mason student of Mrs. Ambrosia Martin in the year of 1836 in the academy of Puerto Rico on the 21st of May Dedicated to her father Courage, Perseverance, and Diligence with experience to arrive to know." <br>
label: Description
content: <B>Background:</B><br>
label: Description
content: Catalina Juliana was born on June 19, 1823, to Sidney and Maria Benito Dorado Mason, in St. Johns (San Juan), Puerto Rico. Catalina's father was American consul in St. Johns from 1829 to 1835. Desiring to educate his children in his native land, Mr. Mason brought his family to the United States in one of his own sailing vessels. After arrival in Baltimore, they were taken to Gloucester, Massachusetts. His wife soon succumbed to the rigors of the climate and died on September 14, 1835. On the death of his wife, Mr. Mason gave up all business interests and set forth on an extended tour of Europe. Before departing, he traveled to Puerto Rico one more time and took Catalina with him. She stitched her sampler during this stay in Puerto Rico. When they returned, he placed Catalina at Miss Emma Willard's boarding school for girls in Troy, New York.
label: Description
content: Recalled from Europe by the death of his son on Dec 25, 1839, he took up residence in New York, and Catalina finished her school days with the Misses McClennachan. She married Theodorus Bailey Myers in 1847, and they had two children, Theodorus Bailey and Cassie Mason. She and her husband made many trips to Europe, and she was known to have paid a visit to the famous dressmaker, Worth. Her niece admired her hands, saying "They were not ornamental only, for they could sew and embroider beautifully, and do all sorts of fine worsted work." Catalina died on August 27, 1905. See also Catalina Mason's map sampler.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: Place Made
content: Puerto Rico
topic: label: decorative motif
content: Urns
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
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content: Samplers
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content: Textiles
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Estate of Cassie Mason Myers Julian-James
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.H33413
label: accession number
content: 70138
label: catalog number
content: H33413
objectType: label: Object Name
content: sampler
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: cotton ground (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: silk thread (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: tan ground (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: multi color stitches (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: embroidery (overall production method/technique)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 11 1/4 in x 15 3/8 in; 28.575 cm x 39.0525 cm