Elizabeth Inman must have had a teacher who was well educated in English literature. She marked her sampler with texts written in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the sources ranging from the Bible, to Milton, to a popular hymn, to Daniel Bellamy's "Dramatic Entertainment," which, according to its title page was "Perform'd by the Young Ladies of Mrs. Bellamy's School, with the general Approbation of their Friends."

Perhaps this play was still being performed in early nineteenth century England, and perhaps Elizabeth stitched the text of the part that she played?

The texts in the side cartouches are derived from John Milton's Paradise Lost. An incomplete fragment from George Wither: A Collection of Emblemes, Ancient and Modernes follows. The text embroidered across the bottom of the sampler derives from the hymns of John and Charles Wesley, specifically On the Crucifixion: Hymns and Divine Poems.

All texts and sources are included in the design package.

Stitches used in this extraordinary literary sampler are primarily cross over one thread of linen, and counted satin. On 30 count linen, stitched in this way, the finished piece will measure approximately 14-1/4" x 16", very close to the dimensions of the original. The sampler is recommended for any skill level.

Original Sampler

Reproduction (click to enlarge)