Sampler
Maker
Elenor M. Page
Period1818
MediumPlied silk thread on linen
Dimensions21.63 × 20.5 in. (54.9 × 52.1 cm)
SignedThe signature reads "Elenor M. Pages work wrought / in the 11th year of her Age 1818 / cross Roads School."
ClassificationsNeedlework
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Julia Hartshorne Trask, 1946
Object number2084.43
DescriptionA large square sampler worked in black, brown, green, blue, pale yellow, tan, and off-white plied silk threads on an loose weave linen ground. The sampler's silk threads vary wildly in thickness, ranging from fine to heavy. A large cursive upper case alphabet runs across the top of the sampler, ending on the second line, with a tiny lower case alphabet following a flower sprig spacer. A large floral and foliate oval encircles the sampler's verse: "This day be bred and peace our lot / All else beneath the sun / Thou knowest if best bestowed or not / And let thy will be done." The inscription immediately follows below, reading "Elenor M. Pages work wrought / in the 11th year of her Age 1818 / cross Roads School." Below the verse and inscription within the oval border are various single motifs including a chevron and a small circular medallion, two mirror image birds, two floral buds, and a central floral element. In the bottom portion of the sampler is worked an imposing Federal style brick school building, featuring three stories of green shuttered windows flanking a central entry door with a fanlight above and three steps below. In front of the school is a swath of green grass on which appears four sheep, a small black and white picket fence, and four small white birds. Two tall trees with feathery branches, suggesting pine trees, flank the building on either side. Worked along the left and right sides of the sampler and in the space between the verse oval and the building are numerous single motifs including pairs of kissing birds, floral baskets, butterflies, roses, and two tiny black dogs. An exuberant wavy floral vine borders the left and right edges, while two large satin-stitched roses and single floral motifs form a border along the top. Stitches used in the sampler include cross, stem, queen, satin, and feather.Curatorial RemarksCrossroads is a small hamlet in Medford Township, Burlington County, New Jersey. It was at one time the seat of government for the original Evesham Township that encompassed a much larger geographic area than today. Crossroads is located on the road to Mount Holly about one mile north of Medford Village. The community contained a town hall, store, hotel and a cluster of other buildings, including a tollhouse. Although little is currently known about the school noted in Elenor Page's sampler, its needlework instructor was evidently quite accomplished. She guided Elenor in designing and completing a complex embroidery piece containing alphabets, a verse, inscription and a bold pictorial scene. Very little unembroidered space remains: Elenor used birds, butterflies, animals, flowers, and other design elements to fill up her sampler. Although there is great variety in the chosen motifs, they are all well-balanced and result in a masterful accomplishment. The building depicted in the sampler is a representation of the Westtown School, a Quaker coeducational institution located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, that first opened in May 1799. It remains in operation today. Many of the female graduates of Westtown became teachers in the small Quaker community schools throughout the Delaware Valley. The presence of the school building in Eleanor's sampler suggests strongly that her needlework instructor attended Westtown. An accurate early nineteenth century watercolor sketch of the school, ca. 1805, shows the large structure as built and as depicted in the sampler. A photograph of Westtown School taken in 1864 by John Moran captured an image of the facility following its enlargement in 1847. It was replaced by a new building in 1888 that is still in use.NotesFor her sampler's verse, Elenor chose a stanza from "The Universal Prayer," a poem by Alexander Pope (1688 - 1744). In working her verse, Elenor transposed a portion of the lines, changing "This day be peace and bread our lot" to "This day be bred and peace our lot." The last line of the stanza originally read "Father! Thy will be done," which Elenor omitted "Father" and replaced it with "And." Samplers such as this one, with its highly complex variety of motifs, stitches, and inscriptions were challenging, and many samplers include errors and alterations. Elenor, whose name appears as "Eleanor" in some sources, was born on 16 January 1808 in Burlington County to Quakers Dr. William Page (1770 - 1839) and Agnes Hollingshead (1776 - 1842). The couple had eight children. Elenor married Isaac Haines (b. 1805) on 14 February 1828 and was noted in existing Quaker records as "Married Out and Disowned," indicating that her husband was not a Quaker. Elenor died at the age of thirty-four on 16 May 1842.
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