Sarah Kurtz's Sampler
date: label: Date made
content: 1804
name: label: maker
content: Kurtz, Sarah
notes: label: Description
content: Three block alphabets; one script alphabet. Two alphabets have letters colored alternately with no "J"; numbers to 4, to 15, and to 21; all these rows separated by geometric crossbands. Surrounding verse and inscription paired motifs of trees, crowns, flower-baskets, birds, and bird in wreath; two checkered flower-baskets with handles but no flowers. Border of geometric strawberry vine on all four sides. Silk embroidery thread on linen ground. STITCHES: cross, crosslet, stem, chain, eyelet, Algerian eye. THREAD COUNT: warp 28, weft 32/in.<br>
label: Description
content: <B>Inscription:</B><br>
label: Description
content: "When wealth to virtuous hands is giv[e]n<br>It ble<i>f</i>[s]ses like the dews of heavn<br>Like heaven it hears the orphans cries<br>And wipes the tears from widows eyes<br>
label: Description
content: Sarah Kurtz." (written in ink after the inscription is: "Worked 1804 age 9")<br>
label: Description
content: <B>Background:</B><br>
label: Description
content: Sarah was born January 20, 1795, to Christian (1751 - 1808) and Maria Gardner (1756 -1822) in Georgetown, DC. She and Thomas Orme were married by Rev. Balch in Georgetown, D.C., on June 2, 1816. They had three daughters—Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Anna. Sarah died on December 23, 1864, in Washington and is buried there in Oak Hill Cemetery. Anna's daughter Mary donated her grandmother's and aunt's samplers. See Elizabeth Orme's sampler.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: District of Columbia, Georgetown
topic: label: depicted
content: Alphabets
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
label: See more items in
content: Samplers
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content: Textiles
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Mrs. Mary E. Lyddane
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.T07318
label: catalog number
content: T07318
label: accession number
content: 124663
objectType: label: Object Name
content: sampler
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: linen (ground fabric material)
label: Physical Description
content: silk (embroidery thread material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 21 1/8 in x 17 1/8 in; 53.6575 cm x 43.4975 cm