Mid 19th century sampler dated 1849.
I WANT TO BEGIN BY MENTIONING THE DATE WHICH IS WRITTEN IN PEN AND NOT STITCHED. IT IS MY OPINION THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN DONE BY THE STITCHER OF THIS SAMPLER BUT HAS BEEN ADDED AT A LATER DATE AND THAT THIS PIECE DATES TO c.1860 OR SLIGHTLY LATER.
Worked by an anonymous hand in wool on gauze, this sampler is completely charming with neat stitch work throughout. The upper section of the gauze is stitched with five rows of alphabet letters and numbers, each underlined with a different example of border pattern. The middle section of the gauze is stitched with the date of 1849 which has a sailing ship flanked by a crown below followed by a bell flower motif and flower vase. The lower section of the gauze is stitched with a central flower basket with a dog, fruit tree and very sweet two storey house to its left and right with a floral motif and heart above each. The whole piece is then surrounded by an undulating border.
The gauze has overall discolouration consistent with its age with some remnants of old glue residue around the edges. The colours of the wool are good with the purple having mellowed more than the other shades as is often the case. There is also bleeding to some of the darker stitching. The last photo is of the reverse of the sampler and indicates how the colours would have looked when it was first stitched.