Sarah Siddall 1818

Description

Certain pervasive motifs and styles of lettering distinguish samplers made by girls in Quaker schools from those made elsewhere. They include, foremost, the precise and highly legible Roman style of lettering, as well as meandering floral sprigs, birds enclosed within flowering branches, cornucopiae, geometric medallions, and animal/bird forms within medallions, all of which are featured in this beautiful sampler. Retaining its brilliant original colors on the back side where they had not been faded by exposure to ultraviolet light, the sampler is still pristine and beautifully executed. One of its most unique features is the solidly stitched medallion at the top center with a swan surrounded by aqua water. English and American Quaker samplers made between 1779 and 1830 have many similarities due to the strong influence and frequent traffic between their institutions of learning on both sides of the Atlantic.

This reproduction sampler is offered with either 35 or 40 count linen, with the 40 count resulting in a finished piece closest in scale to the finely stitched original, measuring approximately 14″ x 14-1/2″. It is recommended for any skill level, as the only stitch required to complete the sampler is cross stitch.