Woolwork spot sampler; Unknown maker; dated 1878
notes: label: Description
content: A woolwork embroidered sampler; square, with white scrolling corner motifs framing many bright colored motifs on black background. Anonymous. Worked in cross stitch, in wool yarns on an open weave canvas ground. An old English "M" is in the center and the date Feb. 1878 appears at the top. Among the motifs, which are densely arranged, with no particular connection among them, are: figures dressed in Colonial garb; a puppet show stage labeled "Guignol"; pitchfork-holding devils; various animals (several different cats, two goats butting heads; monkeys; donkey; elephant; heraldic dragon; chicken; insects) children on a seesaw; a man on a bicycle; musical instruments; a stereotypical Indian figure with the motto above it "Up to Snuff" suggesting it was taken from a tobacco advertisement; and a small square with the stereotypical black "dancing figures" with the motto "We's Free." The random assortment of motifs suggests that the maker copied readily available images, perhaps from pattern books or magazines. Whether they meant something to the maker personally, we cannot know.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Albert Adsit Clemons
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.T08267
label: catalog number
content: T08267.000
label: accession number
content: 148588
objectType: label: Object Name
content: sampler; woolwork
label: Object Name
content: sampler
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: cotton penelope canvas (overall ground)
label: Physical Description
content: wool and silk (overall thread)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 24 in x 24 1/2 in; 60.96 cm x 62.23 cm