Sampler
Maker
Elizabeth Sturges
Period1829
MediumPlied and flat silk threads on natural linen
Dimensions17.25 × 16.5 in. (43.8 × 41.9 cm)
SignedThe sampler is signed "Elizabeth Sturge May / 1829 Aged 12 years." The "May" in the signature refers to the month in which the sampler was completed, and is not part of the sampler maker's name.
ClassificationsNeedlework
Credit LineGift of Miss Alva B. Aumack, 1988
Object number1988.2
DescriptionA square sampler on a natural linen ground, with selvedge edges along the left and right sides and narrow hemmed edges along the top and bottom. The sampler is worked in both plied silk and flat or filament silk in dark green, medium green, light green, dark pink, pale pink, brown, and black in cross, satin, tapestry, straight, and chain stitches. Embroidered in the center of the sampler is a two-stanza verse, titled "Resignation," with small double floral bud motifs separating the title, stanzas, and signature line. The verse reads "See Resignation how divine her look, / Humbly she blesses God for what is given, / And without searching Fate's mysterious book, / Calmly submits to the decrees of heaven. / How beautiful, how charming is her air; / What pencil can her wondrous sweetness paint; / And if she weeps - it is a silent tear - / She heaves no sigh and utters no complaint." Below the verse is the signature line "Elizabeth Sturge May / 1829 Aged 12 years." In all four corners of the sampler are worked sprays of poinsettias, buds, and leaves. The poinsettias in the upper corners are worked in medium and pale pink plied silk, while the poinsettias in the lower corners are worked in bright and light pink flat silk threads. Around the entire sampler runs a continuous border of strawberry vines.Curatorial RemarksWhen she created her sampler in 1829, Elizabeth Sturges chose to include images of a plant introduced to the United States only the year before. The brightly colored motifs on her embroidery are Euphorbia pulcherrima, better known as poinsettias. The plant was named after Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779 - 1851), a doctor and botanist who was appointed by President Martin Van Buren to serve as the first U. S. ambassador to Mexico from 1825 and 1829. In 1828, Poinsett sent cuttings of the bold red and green plant back to his home in Charleston, South Carolina, where it quickly became a sensation. Although not cold hardy, poinsettias were relatively easy to grow from cuttings and eventually became popular seasonal Christmas plants. It is not known under what circumstances Elizabeth Sturges incorporated the poinsettia elements into her sampler. Elizabeth Sturges' verse is comprised of two stanzas of "Resignation," a poem which appeared as early as 1819 in such women's publications as "The Ladies Literary Cabinet" of New York. Elizabeth misspelled her last name on the sampler, leaving out the last "s" in Sturges.NotesElizabeth Sturges was born at Weehawken, Hudson County, on 15 April 1816. In 1835, she married Capt. Cornelius Britton (1814 - 1883), a native of Jersey City. The couple soon after moved to Keyport, Monmouth County. Britton engaged in the oyster industry as a dealer, boat captain, and oyster planter. He and his wife became the parents of nine children, five of whom died young. They were members of the Baptist church in Keyport. Elizabeth Sturges Britton passed away at the age of seventy-eight on 23 February 1894 at the residence of her son, Charles B. Britton, in New York City. She had been an invalid for some years. Interment took place in the family plot at Cedarwood Cemetery in Keyport. The donor, Miss Alva B. Aumack (1916 - 1990), was Elizabeth's great-granddaughter.
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