Sampler

Period1786

MediumPlied silk thread on linsey woolsey

Dimensions10 × 13.25 in. (25.4 × 33.7 cm)

SignedThe sampler is signed "Elianor Remsen her work aged 6 / Feb the 28 1786."

ClassificationsNeedlework

Credit LineGift of Katherine Bartlett and Susan Trautvetter in memory of their mother Jane Harris Hendrickson Bartlett, 2018

Object number2018.3.8

DescriptionA rectangular sampler on loosely woven green linsey woolsey worked entirely in cross stitch. The plied silk thread colors include russet brown, lemon yellow, oyster white, peach, and dull pink. Grass green thread was used to sew the uneven hemmed edges along all four sides. Eight lines of verse read "False Though she become and Love / ill [sic] ne er [sic] pursue revenge / For still the charmer i [sic] aPProve / tho i [sic] deplore her change / in hours of bliss we oft have met / They could not always last / and though the Present i [sic] regret / im [sic] grateful for the Past." Below the verse is worked the signature and date "Elianor Remsen her work aged 6 / Feb the 28 1786." A numeral run, from 1 through 9, is worked sideways along the right edge of the panel. The number "8" in the year date 1786 has been reworked, embroidered in bright glossy yellow silk thread in what appears to be a tightly worked fishbone stitch, backed on the reverse of the linsey woolsey with a scrap of cotton stockinette fabric. A wide zig zag repeat band begins at the left beneath the first four lines of verse and continues for 2 1/4 inches. Single lines of cross stitch separate the verse blocks from the signature and date lines.
Curatorial RemarksSamplers worked on green linsey woolsey fabric comprise an interesting subset in the larger world of schoolgirl needlework. According to Florence Montgomery in her work Textiles in America, linsey woolsey is a "coarse cloth made of linen warp and woolen weft," apparently first produced in Linsey in Suffolk, England. The fabric was imported into the American colonies from England and was also extensively woven in the colonies themselves. Linsey woolsey was available in a number of solid colors and bold stripes. It was used for bed hangings, cushions, draperies, whole cloth quilts, and clothing including women's petticoats and men's coats. Samplers worked on green linsey woolsey hail most often from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and parts of Connecticut and were at their most popular from about 1788 through the first decade of the nineteenth century. Samplers embroidered on green linsey woolsey made outside of this general region are uncommon. The "8" in the sampler's year "1786" has been reworked, but remnants of older silk threads beneath the later embroidery seem to indicate that the year was originally 1786 and was not changed to reflect a different year. It may be that the original thread had worn away or frayed, and the later embroidery was in the nature of a decorative repair. Eleanor Remsen was only six years old when she completed her sampler, quite an accomplishment for such small hands. It is interesting to note that in many examples, samplers created by little girls usually focused on alphabets, short verses, and perhaps a few simple decorative motifs. Eleanor's sampler, by contrast, features a highly romantic poem by Restoration playwright and poet William Congreve (1670 - 1729), a somewhat quirky choice for a little girl's sampler, perhaps a reflection of her needlework instructress's sense of humor.NotesEleanor Remsen was born in Freehold, Monmouth County, in 1779. She was a daughter of William Remsen (1750 - 1789) and Agnes Covenhoven (1758 - 1832), both of whom were interred in the yard at Old Brick Reformed Church in Marlboro. Eleanor married Teunis Forman (1761 - 1837) of Freehold. He had served as a Sergeant during the Revolutionary War. The Formans were interred in the cemetery at Old Tennent Presbyterian Church near Freehold. They had at least one daughter named Catherine Louise Forman (1809 - 1889) who married Dr. Edward Taylor (1805 - 1885) of Middletown. The sampler descended in the Taylor family to the donor.

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