Sampler (1246)

Marking sampler with decorative border. An uppercase alphabet in pairs of letters (i.e. AABBCC etc.) takes five rows, done in blue, yellow, tan, pink, purple, light blue, green and red cross stitches and are separated by a variety of decorative dividing lines. A row of numbers 1-13 with an extra numeral 1; a row of stylized animal figures (lion passant or leopard), and a row of decorative motifs compose the middle three rows of the sampler. These rows are also done in the same variety of colors. A band of geometric designs done in Irish and Queen's stitch follows. A final lowercase alphabet fits on the next line. "Frances Tyson/ wrought this in her eleventh/ Year 1819" completes the field of the sampler. An arcaded floral border of roses and carnations provides an enclosure on all four sides. Stitches include cross, satin, eyelet, Irish, and Queen's stitch.

Provenance Narrative
Frances Tyson, daughter of Isaac and Hannah Moore Tyson, was born in Yorkshire, England in 1807, and her family emigrated to America, settling in New York City. It is believed that the sampler was made after the family had arrived in the United States, although the row of animals is something more typical of English than American samplers. Frances married Joseph Melson Greeley in 1837, and was the mother of at least three children. She died in 1886. Her daughter was the donor.

Place Made
United States NEW YORK

Signatures/Marks
1819 AABBCCDDEEFFGG
HHIIJJKKLLMMNO
PPQQRRSSTTUUVV
WWXXYYZZ&&&
123456789 10 11 12 13
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Frances Tyson
wrought this in her eleventh
Year 1819