Sampler
Maker
Almira Morgan
PeriodCirca 1830
Place MadeNew Jersey, United States
MediumLinen, plied silk thread
Dimensions11.25 × 10.5 in. (28.6 × 26.7 cm)
InscribedThe date "1830" is worked in the upper half of the sampler.
ClassificationsNeedlework
Credit LineGift of Holmes and Alison Bailey, 2019
Object number2019.16.2
DescriptionA square sampler, of woven tan linen, worked in a variety of plied silk threads in shades of faded tans, blues, and greens. The sampler is unfinished, and includes an upper case alphabet, a lower case alphabet, a partial cursive alphabet, and a partial block alphabet. The date "1830" is worked after the lower case alphabet. A stylized floral spray and two small birds are embroidered in the lower half of the sampler. A good portion of the lower right section is blank, with two small Queen stitches and three eyelet stitches as practice. A narrow single cross stitch border runs along all four sides of the sampler panel, with a shallow floral vine border along the top edge.Curatorial RemarksAttributed to twelve-year-old Almira Morgan, this sampler was never completed. During a young girl's needlework education, she might complete or work on a number of practice samplers before attempting a large and complex "finish" sampler. In this case, Almira seems to have been practicing several types of upper and lower case alphabets as well as a few simple individual motifs.NotesAlthough unsigned, this sampler has been attributed to Almira Morgan (1818 - 1891) as she was the only other Morgan female relative of the appropriate age to complete this needlework piece. The work descended in the Morgan family along with a sampler signed and dated by Almira's half-niece Eleanora Morgan, daughter of Almira's half-brother Jonathan Morgan (See 2019.16.1 for Eleanora Morgan's sampler). Almira was the daughter of Major General James Morgan 81752 - 1822) and his second wife Ann J. Van Wickle Morgan (1784 - 1867). She married Frederick C. Tanner in 1841 and died in 1891 at the age of 73.
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