Sampler
Maker
Eleanor L. Coward
Period1822
MediumSilk on linen
DimensionsSight: 25 × 22 × 1.38 in. (63.5 × 55.9 × 3.5 cm)
SignedThe sampler is embroidered with its maker's name, "Eleanor L. Coward. March 1st 1822."
ClassificationsNeedlework
Credit LineGift of Edward N. King, Jr. in memory of N.J. State Senator and Mrs. S.L. Ridolfi, 2017
Object number2017.11.1
DescriptionA rectangular needlework sampler worked in what was originally black, brown, dark and light green, light blue, yellow, rose pink, and off-white silk embroidery thread on a moderately open weave bleached linen ground. The top third of the sampler includes the verse "Teach me oh thou! that teacher art / Of every duty here below / Thy bounteous grace to me impart / Be thou my guide where ere I go / I ask no gold nor wealths array / I meet thy will thy will be done / I know that time itself decays / And gold but sparkles in the sun / When chasten'd let me kiss the rod / I wish no transient joy to claim / Be thou my portion oh my god / Thro' Heavens eternal year the same." The signature line "Eleanor L. Coward March 1st 1822" appears immediately below the verse. To the left of the verse are the names "Enoch Coward / April 1st 1769," "Enoch L. Coward," and "Elizabeth L. Coward," and to the right of the verse are the names "Eleanor Coward / Novr 21st 1768" and "Clemence S. Coward." The second third of the sampler features a central three-story building surmounted by a cupola and spire, two chimneys, and a decorative roof railing. A small lean-to structure can be seen attached to the side of the main building. Several smaller outbuildings are partially hidden by four conical trees. On the right, a barn or carriage building sits between two large leafy trees. A picket fence runs in front of the buildings. The bottom third of the sampler depicts a dark green field with a central basket of strawberries, flanked on both sides by strawberry vines. The sampler is bordered on all four sides by an undulating floral vine.Curatorial RemarksDaughters of those parents who could afford to do so attended boarding schools in which both plain and fancy needlework was part of the curriculum. The Young Ladies Seminary in Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1742 by sixteen-year-old Benigna von Zinzendorf, daughter of Moravian church supporter Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf. It is considered the oldest continuing school for girls in the United States. The school moved to its permanent location in Bethlehem in 1749. In 1785 the Seminary began accepting students of non-Moravian families. Pupils came from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and as far south as Kentucky. Several students came from St. Croix, where the Moravians had established mission settlements in the early 1730s. As a student at the Young Ladies Seminary, Eleanor Coward would have attended classes in reading, writing, geography, grammar, history, arithmetic, plain sewing, and knitting. Her parents would have paid an extra fee for her to learn fancy needlework. Additional fees were also charged for music, painting, and drawing lessons.NotesEleanor Lloyd Coward, baptized on 3 April 1809 at Old Tennent Church near Freehold, Monmouth County, was the daughter of Enoch Coward (1769 - 1851) and Eleanor Lloyd (1768 - 1830), who were married in 1806. They had four children: Enoch Lloyd (1807 - 1889), Eleanor Lloyd, Elizabeth Lloyd (1811 - 1816), and Clemence Stephens (1813 - 1888). Eleanor married Sidney C. Woodward of Freehold (d. 1856) on 11 May 1828. A resident of Imlaystown, she died on 2 October 1835 at age twenty-six. On her sampler, Eleanor included the names of her parents and their birth dates and the names of her brother Enoch and sisters Elizabeth and Clemence. Although Eleanor's sister Elizabeth died six years before the completion of the sampler, it was not uncommon for girls to include the names of deceased family members as a way to memorialize loved ones. Eleanor's chosen verse, with its references to discipline, duty, and eternity, appeared in print as early as 1753 and was included in A Collection of Hymns and Psalms for Public and Private Worship (London, 1804.) The building depicted in her sampler is Nazareth Hall in Nazareth, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. It was originally constructed in 1754 as a potential American residence for Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf of Germany, a founder of the Moravian church. In 1759, the large structure became a boarding school for the sons of Moravian families. Although the school was discontinued in 1929, Nazareth Hall still stands, a major architectural landmark in this small community. The Moravians, one of the earliest Protestant denominations, were so named after the region in Europe from which they emigrated in the early 18th century to escape religious persecution. In 1741, a group of Moravian missionaries began a settlement in the colony of Pennsylvania. The community founded several schools, including the Young Ladies Seminary in nearby Bethlehem in 1742. According to family history, Eleanor Coward was a pupil there, although her name does not appear on surviving seminary student lists. A theorem painting on velvet also by Eleanor is owned by Colonial Williamsburg (accession number 1931.403.1).
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