sampler
Date Made/Found: 1792-1850
Associated with:
Sarah Wright
Dimensions: Overall: 435 x 360mm
Department: Social History
Accession Number: J1904.22
This sampler was made in 1792 by Sarah Wright, when she was just eleven years old. The detail in the embroidery on this piece is particularly characteristic of eighteenth-century samplers.
A beautifully embroidered border of pale pink flowers and leaves surrounds the central inscription, which reads: 'Young lady's fair whose gentle minds incline/To all that's curious innocent and fine/With admiration in your works are read/The various textures of the twining thread/Then let your learning with unrival'd skill/Exalt the needle - grace the noble quill.' The verse was taken from J. Carstairs' 'The Art of Writing', which proposed a new method for teaching literacy.
At the top of the sampler Sarah has embroidered three alphabets in varying sizes, along with the numbers one to nineteen. She has also embroidered her name and age along the bottom of the sampler.
Display Location: In Store