Excellent New Jersey Quaker Schoolgirl Sampler, Dated 1811

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Excellent New Jersey Quaker Schoolgirl Sampler, Dated 1811

About the Item

Charlotte Beck worked this excellent sampler while attending the Pine Grove School, a Quaker school near Evesham, Burlington County, New Jersey which first opened its doors in 1792. Interestingly, the sampler includes a depiction of Westtown School in Chester County, Pennsylvania - their iconic four-story, four-chimney building. Betty Ring, in Girlhood Embroidery, vol II, states that, “The Westtown School was a logical subject for samplers embroidered at Quaker schools, since it was an impressive structure housing a much respected institution that many Quaker children aspired to attend.” In fact, a number of samplers worked by students at different schools in Burlington County are known to include a rendering of this building. Charlotte’s sampler, however, is the only known Pine Grove School sampler to do so. The sampler was included in the groundbreaking exhibition at the Morven Museum, “Hail Specimen of Female Art! New Jersey Schoolgirl Needlework, 1726-1860.” It is published as plate 75 in the accompanying book of the same name, one of the two Pine Grove School samplers. Other Quaker motifs, such as the basket of fruit, potted flowers, birds and a large queen’s-stitched heart were worked in a balanced composition, rendering this a sampler with strong aesthetic appeal. To quote from Hail Specimen of Female Art!, “The verse selected by Charlotte for her sampler was extracted from the poem, “Stanza Subjoined to the Bill of Mortality of the Parish of All Saints Northampton,” written by the English poet, William Cowper in 1787. Cowper subsequently provided additional verses and the lines chosen by Charlotte were published in 1793.” The nicely stitched verse contrasts amusingly with the misspelled word, “Shool.” Charlotte stitched on her sampler that she was born on December 21, 1797. She was the daughter of Samuel and Charlotte Beck, residents of Evesham, a family with ties to the Quaker community. In 1824, Charlotte married William E. Venicomb of Moorestown, New Jersey and they had one child, a daughter, Rebecca Venicomb. In 1860, Charlotte, age 63, was listed as a gentlewoman, living next door to her daughter and family in Evesham. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a cherry frame.

Dimensions:
Height: 18.75 in (47.63 cm)Width: 15 in (38.1 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
Style:
Folk Art (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Silk,Needlework
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
1810-1819
Date of Manufacture:
Dated 1811
Condition:
fully conserved.
Seller Location:
Philadelphia, PA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU85834566833