Sampler

Periodca. 1820 - 1825

MediumPlied silk thread on linen

Dimensions15.75 × 16.88 in. (40 × 42.9 cm)

SignedThe sampler is signed twice, once immediately below the verse, "Sarah Goodfellow," the second time along the bottom of the panel "Sarah Goodfellow Her Work Aged 1-- March 21 182--."

ClassificationsNeedlework

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Julia Hartshorne Trask, 1946

Object number2084.12

DescriptionA large square sampler on gauzy weight closely woven natural linen, with a selvedge edge along the right and hems along the bottom, left, and top edges. The embroidery is done in plied silk threads in black, dark green, deep grass green, light blue, brick red, pale gray, pale golden tan, and off white in cross, Algerian eyelet, and stem stitches. The sampler is roughly divided in half, with the upper portion containing an extensive verse reading "Give unto the lord o ye mighty give unto / The lord glory and strength give unto / The lord the glory due unto his name / Worship the lord in the beauty of holines [sic] / Wisdom is the principal thing therefore / Get wisdom and with all thy getting get / Understanding all this i have don [sic] and you / May see the care my parents took of me / But when i [sic] am dead and in my grave this / Piece of work to them i [sic] love but when i [sic] am / Dead and in my grave this piece of work my / Friends shll [sic] have and while the worms my / Body eat here you may read my name compleate [sic] / SARAH GOODFELLOW." Flanking the verse on the left and right, worked in mirror image, are three spot elements including a winged angel with a trumpet, a diamond and square panel, and a floral basket with three stylized blossoms. A narrow checkerboard cross stitch band runs horizontally beneath the verse. On the lower portion of the sampler, a simple two-story house appears in the center, with a shallow hipped roof and two chimneys, and five six-over-six pane windows. A central door features a large fanlight, and two small steps appear in front of the door. Groups of mirror image spot motifs flank the house and include a small stylized pyramidal floral bunch, a two-handled urn with floral branches atop which perch a pair of birds, and a fruit basket. The signature and date line runs across the entire width of the sampler beneath the house and reads "Sarah Goodfellow Her Work Aged 1-- March 21 182--." The second digit of the maker's age and the last digit of the completion year have been removed. A wide repeat band depicting what may be either a stylized floral blossom or a stylized pineapple motif is runs along all four edges.
Curatorial RemarksThis bold and well-worked sampler is currently attributed to Sarah Goodfellow (1808 - 1883), who was born in Delaware and died at the age of seventy-five in Philadelphia. Sarah Goodfellow was probably between twelve and fourteen when she completed her sampler. Her needlework composition is beautifully balanced, with a few carefully selected motifs including floral baskets, blossoms, and birds, as well as a pair of winged angels clutching trumpets. Sarah's thirteen lines of verse were taken from several sources. The first three lines are from the twenty-ninth Psalm, the fourth line is a snippet of the ninety-sixth Psalm, and the next three lines are from Proverbs 4:7. The remaining lines are somewhat repetitive, with "when I am dead and in my grave" mentioned twice. The final sentence, which includes the stark phrase "while the worms my Body eat," provides a grim counterpoint to the uplifting mood of Sarah's first few lines. Sarah returned to her schoolgirl needlework at some point later in life to alter it. She removed the second digit of her age as well as the last digit of the year in which she completed the embroidery in order to disguise her age. The Association has several other samplers in its collection which exhibit this type of modification. At the present time, the design of the Sarah Goodfellow sampler does not relate to others that are documented as being from Delaware. She may have attended school elsewhere, perhaps in Philadelphia. NotesThe girl who made this sampler may be from Wilmington, Delaware. The Philadelphia Inquirer carried the following death notice on 31 December 1883, "On the 20th inst. Miss SARAH GOODFELLOW, in the seventy-sixth year of her age." This appears to be the same individual whose death date in most sources is given as 29 December 1883, and who was born in Wilmington in 1808. She was the daughter of James Goodfellow (1759 - 1831) and Margaret Grant (1758 - 1810), both natives of Ireland. The Goodfellows joined Holy Trinity Old Swede's Church in Wilmington, where they were later buried. Founded as a Swedish Lutheran congregation, in 1791 it became affiliated with the Episcopal denomination. This suggests that the Goodfellows were Irish Protestants, perhaps from the north of Ireland. The 1850 census schedules indicate that part of the family was then living in the New Market Ward of Philadelphia. The household, headed by Sarah's brother James, a private school teacher age fifty-four, included his wife Mary, age forty, their six children ages four through sixteen, and Sarah, age forty [should read forty-two]. The 1880 census schedules for Philadelphia show that Sarah, then age seventy-two, was keeping house and living with two nieces named Laura Goodfellow, age forty-four, and Julia Goodfellow, age forty-one. Both were part of the household in 1850, and were employed in 1880 as private school teachers. Sarah Goodfellow was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, as was her brother James (1791 - 1880).

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