Sampler
Maker
Eleanor J. Taylor
Period1839
MediumPlied silk thread on linen
DimensionsSight: 17.63 × 16 in. (44.8 × 40.6 cm)
SignedSigned in dark brown cross stitch "Eleanor J. Taylor / 1839."
ClassificationsNeedlework
Credit LineMuseum Collection
Object number1985.525
DescriptionA family register sampler embroidered on open weave natural linen with plied silk threads in shades of medium and olive green, brown and pale tan, off white, dark blue, pink and purple. In the center of the piece, a family register, worked in brown, reads "Edward Taylor born Mar. 9, 1799 / Lydia Wikoff July 16, 1798 / Married Oct. 19, 1819 / Children as follows / William W. born Oct. 25 1820 / Eleanor I. [J] June 25 1826 / George G. aug 9 1835," within a rectangular border with clipped corners worked in white and black silk. Above the register are two large elaborate two-handled vases with large roses and rosebuds and clusters of trees with pairs of perching birds. On either side of the register are florid bouquets, with a single butterfly at right. Below the register is a pictorial scene featuring a low hill populated with a horse, cow, sheep, birds, and what appear to be dogs. A weeping willow arches atop the hill at right, while a leafy tree and a large bird atop a small branch are depicted at left. Above the hill is the inscription "Eleanor I. [J] Taylor / 1839." Immediately to the right of the inscription is a red bird perched atop a small pine tree. A green and white checkerboard border runs along the left and right sides of the sampler, while a zig zag strawberry vine borders the top and bottom edges.Curatorial RemarksInstead of selecting a verse or psalm to include in a sampler, some young girls chose to make family register samplers in order to commemorate parents, brothers, and sisters. Eleanor Taylor, with the help of her needlework instructor, planned and completed a genealogical record of her immediate family. Her sampler includes a wide variety of needlework stitches beyond the standard cross stitch. She also relied upon slightly different types of thread thicknesses and finishes to create textural interest, particularly in the area of the grassy hill, the graceful weeping willow, and the lush full-blown flowers in their decorative urns. The border around Eleanor's sampler is also striking and unusual. Along the top and bottom runs a strawberry vine motif, frequently seen in regional samplers, while on the sides of her sampler Eleanor embroidered an eye-catching and unique checkerboard band. Her name appears to read "Eleanor I. Taylor" when in fact her middle initial was J. The letter I was often used interchangeably with the letter J in the nineteenth century. Eleanor's sampler includes design elements that are virtually identical to those in the family record sampler of Sarah Ann Vanderveer (1821 - 1890), also owned by the Association (see accession number 2061.2). Both girls included two ornamental urns filled with roses and peonies worked in identical sitch patterns. Eleanor Taylor was thirteen when she completed her sampler in 1839, six years after Sarah Ann finished hers. Both girls lived in the Freehold area and their samplers indicate that they may have received instruction from the same unidentified needlework teacher.NotesEleanor J. Taylor was born on 25 June 1826, the only daughter of Edward G. Taylor (1799 - 1858) and Lydia Wikoff (1798 - 1863). Her family register sampler includes the names and birth dates of her older brother William W. (1820) and younger brother George G. (1835). William died in 1905, while George died at the age of two in 1837 when Eleanor was eleven, two years before she completed her sampler. The narrow black band around the register border may be in the nature of a mourning commemoration for her little brother. Eleanor married Freehold resident and farmer Charles Aumack (1820 - 1906) in 1849. The couple raised three sons: Charles A., George W., and William W. Eleanor died on 7 October 1889 and was buried in Maplewood Cemetery in Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Association owns the Taylor family bible, in which was recorded many of the family's birth, marriage, and death dates.
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