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BETSY
MANCHESTER 1793 |
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Some of America's most recognizable samplers
and silkworks were made at Mary (Polly) Balch's school in Providence,
Rhode Island, between 1785 and 1830. Seen here is a variation
of her famous archway, one of the most popular patterns used
at the school before 1797, although this especially graceful
rendition is found on only four other Balch school samplers.
Elizabeth (Betsy) Manchester was born in Providence in 1782,
the daughter of John Manchester and Elizabeth Potter. She married
Israel Arnold on May 29, 1800, and they had four children. One
son, John M., born in Providence in 1810, married Caroline Cadmus
in 1838 and moved with her to Chicago, taking his mother's sampler
with him. Betsy died in 1837. Her granddaughter, Charlotte Manchester
Arnold, was born in Chicago in 1840. Charlotte inherited her
grandmother's sampler, and in 1858 she married John Chester Welles
and moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their daughter, Frances Bradley
Welles, donated her grandmother's sampler to the State Historical
Society of Wisconsin in 1944. It was worked on a very evenly
woven homespun linen. |
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Origin and date: Mary Balch School, Providence, RI, 1793
Rated: Advanced
Linen count and finished size: 25 count, 13-3/4"x10"
Stitches: Cross, queen, tent, satin and stem
Source: The State Historical Society of Wisconsin
Kit with cotton floss $44.00
Kit with silk floss $90.00
Graph only $15.00
Supplies Limited
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