Embroidered Mourning Picture in Memory of Major General James Green

Periodca. 1825 - 1830

MediumFlat and chenille silk thread, printed silk, and watercolor on silk

DimensionsSight: 23.63 × 26.63 in. (60 × 67.6 cm)

InscribedPrinted on silk and sewn to the silk background is a small panel reading "In Memory of / Major General James Green / who departed this life / September 14th, 1811 / aged / sixty-one years, Four Months, twenty-three days / Tribute to the Brave."

ClassificationsNeedlework

Credit LineGift of Mrs. J. Amory Haskell, 1933

Object number398

DescriptionA rectangular pictorial needlework on off-white silk ground in both chenille and flat silk threads in dark green, medium green, pale green, olive green, dark blue, pale blue, dark brown, medium brown, light brown, pale yellow, and off white. Stitches are simple and include laid, stem, and surface satin. A covered urn atop a column and plinth standing in the center of the scene is drawn delicately in black and dark gray ink. On the plinth is sewn an off-white silk square printed in black reading "IN MEMORY OF / MAJOR GENERAL JAMES GREEN / WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE / SEPTEMBER 14TH, 1811, / AGED / Sixty-one years, Four Months, Twenty-three Days. / Tribute to the Brave." The panel is sewn to the front of the column with crude running stitches, with the silk's raw edges partially covered with dark brown flat silk thread sewn to create a border band. A young female figure leans on the memorial to the right, with her elbow on the column and her cheek resting in the palm of her hand. Her left arm is bent, with her left hand resting gently atop the column. The figure's face and a good portion of her dress is drawn in black ink, with watercolor details. The woman's dress, with its full sleeves, high waist, and rounded neckline indicates a date between about 1823 and 1833. Her voluminous shawl is worked in off-white flat silk. To the left of the column and figure stands a pair of graceful weeping willows, their branches worked in glossy off-white and pale yellow flat silk. To the right of the column and figure is a church rendered in ink and watercolor washes in gray, pale gray, and black. The steeple and arched front doors are outlined in dark brown flat silk. Column, figure, trees, and church nestle in a placid landscape setting, with grassy stretches, scattered flowers, and a small stream in the immediate foreground. The scene's sky is worked in a light blue watercolor wash.
Curatorial RemarksMourning and memorial needlework pictures were popular from the very late eighteenth century through the first half of the nineteenth century. Many early ones were made to commemorate George Washington after his death in 1799. Others were created by schoolgirls to memorialize deceased family members. The scene often included columns or other architectural elements meant to enclose inked or embroidered inscriptions. This particular piece incorporates a commercially printed square of silk memorializing Major General James Green. It might have been printed specifically to include in this embroidery, or have been taken from another source, possibly a memento of Green's funeral in 1811. The creator of this beautifully made piece, which includes both embroidered sections as well as hand drawn and colored areas, is not known. While it may have been made by a member of the Green family, it was more likely commissioned by a Green family member from a professional needleworker. The Association has in its collection a silver plated monteith, or wine glass cooling bowl, originally owned by James Green (see accession number 735).NotesJames Green was born on 10 December 1750 to Long Branch residents Henry Green (1700 - 1769) and Rebecca Hall (1704 - ?) in Monmouth County, New Jersey. He married Ann Throckmorton (1753 - 1831) in 1773. The couple had three children including Emeline (1773 - 1886), William (1775 - 1812), and John (1776 - ?). Green owned and operated a tavern in Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey, located beside the County Court House, and was active in local affairs. Described as "a brave and highly valuable officer in the revolutionary war," Green served as a Captain in the Monmouth Militia during the American Revolution and fought at the Battle of Monmouth in June of 1778. His exploits led to his promotion after the war to Major General. In one instance, Green and sixteen of his men captured a British vessel off the coast of Long Branch loaded with sugar and wine and ran it aground, where the ship was burned. Several of the skirmishes he participated in were against groups of Loyalist refugees based on Sandy Hook, who perpetrated a number of brutal raids against local Monmouth residents. Green's unit was certainly a mixed group; a 1780 return for his group listed 75 men and 19 women, most of whom were most likely following their husbands and serving as cooks, laundresses, and nurses. In 1782, after Captain Joshua Huddy was murdered by Loyalist sympathizers, Green hosted Huddy's wake at his Freehold tavern. Green's tavern was also the site of numerous official events, including Admiralty Court hearings and confiscation auctions. At his death in 1811, Green was buried in the Christ Episcopal Church cemetery in Shrewsbury, Monmouth County, New Jersey.

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