Margaret McKay
date: label: date made
content: 1806-1809
name: label: maker
content: McKay, Margaret
notes: label: Description
content: After a young lady learned to embroider a sampler, she might attend a female academy to make a silk embroidered picture. This was a more challenging technique that became popular in the early 1800s. Subjects included classical, biblical, and historical scenes, as well as mourning pictures.
label: Description
content: This pastoral scene shows a young man seated under a tree with a horn slung over his shoulder, and holding a piece of bread (?). Before him stands a young woman carrying a sack, at which a dog is sniffing. The oval scene is surrounded by a single line of stem stitch, 1/4" beyond the picture. The border is embroidered with an undulating ribbon tied in a bow at the lower edge and entwined with sprays of roses, lilies, morning glories, carnations, daisies, and other flowers. At the lower edge of the oval embroidery, printed in ink, is the inscription: "MARGARET McKAY M. E. & A. SKETCHLEY's BOARDING SCHOOL HAERLEM LANE." The picture is worked on a twill-weave ivory silk ground and the stitches used are satin, long and short, stem, straight, chain, and French knot.
label: Description
content: The Sketchley’s school continued at Haerlem Lane in Poughkeepise, NY from 1801 until 1804. The name “M. E. & A. Sketchley” and the address or town, were usually worked on the silk embroideries of their students. The Sketchleys also taught in North Carolina and Virginia. The embroideries include elegant scenes in the neoclassical taste, but lack any distinct characteristics that would help identify unsigned pieces.
label: Description
content: Margaret McKay is probably the sister of Capt. George Knox McKay (1791-1814). Her embroidery descended in his family until it was given to the National Museum of American History.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
label: See more items in
content: Embroidered Pictures
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content: Textiles
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Ring, Betty. Girlhood Embroidery, American Samplers & Pictorial Needlework
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Mrs. Frances C. Land
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1987.0785.01
label: catalog number
content: 1987.0785.01
label: accession number
content: 1987.0785
objectType: label: Object Name
content: picture
label: Object Name
content: silk, embroidery
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: silk (ground material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (frame material)
label: Physical Description
content: silk (embroidery threads material)
label: Physical Description
content: water color (painting material)
label: Physical Description
content: ink (inscription material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 26 in x 22 in; 66.04 cm x 55.88 cm