Fanny Peachey circa 1810

Description

This naive Adam and Eve sampler might have been made in Maryland around 1810. At first I believed that the sampler was either English or Irish, judging by the unusual surname, until, in my research, I came upon the gravestone of a Fanny H. Peachey, born 24 November 1799, died 11 February 1822, in the Westminster Burial Ground in Baltimore, Maryland. The dates fit, but beyond this possible coincidence nothing can yet be proven about where Fanny Peachey lived and died. The sampler is undated and there are no other initials or motifs to help support its origin.

A four sided strawberry border surrounds a central reserve with Adam and Eve at the center on either side of the Tree of Life. The couple is surrounded by dogs, chickens, stags, evergreen trees, flowering vines, potted plants and flying birds. The verse, with its numerous misspellings, is:

Our father ate forbidden fruit
And from his Glory fell
And we his children thus were
Broicht to death And near to hell

Only cross stitch, over two (and just a bit of one) threads of linen, back stitch, counted satin and, optionally stem filling stitches are used to execute the sampler, all clearly illustrated in the instructions. On 40 count linen the finished reproduction sampler will measure approximately 13″ x 18″, very close to the size of the antique. The sampler is recommended for any skill level, and linen can be substituted to a looser weave upon request. Thanks to Robert Smith for stitching this model.