Alphabet/Verse Sampler with large floral border. Birds at top, tree, dogs, and birds at bottom. Alphabets: #1 complete Numbers: "1-7"; other stitches:eyelet hole, satin stitch. Backing board comprised of several sheets of paper stitched together. Paper marked with sections of old letters. Plain painted wood frame.
samplers (embroidery)
needlework (visual works)
crewel wool
cross-stitching
embroidering
wool (textile)
Sampler
""Seize The King Promise while he waits/Ana March to Zion's Heavenly Gates/Believe And Take the Promis'd Poest(?)/Obey And Be Forever Blest"" ""Hannah Norton/Beauty Fame And Empires Fall/But Virtue Triumphs Over All"" ""Cambridge/1795/H.N."" (Embroidered)
"Csambridge April 15, 1798/ Sir - you have not sent me the wood/ nor potatoes according to your agreement/ for, I have not heard form you since/ ly's departure from our house./ I am in good health and hope you and your/ ly are so also./ rly love to Dolly and should be very/ to see her./ Elisabeth Norton" (Three separate pieces of writing paper are stitched together with silk thread, and they appear to have been stitched to the sampler.)
"Dear friend/ It is with the utmost delight/ that I take my pen in hand to inform you of my health which/ good at present and hope you enjoy the same blessing./ Although it is not long since I have seen you it seems an age:/ or consider what happiness we used to take walking down to/ Lake supe_ the isthmus @ Darien and a great many other/ places! But at last __ one never to return. I never expect to/ spend much more time in ___. Now I must stay at home to/ work but I have conversed enough ___ subject. I have - got - to - / stop - hem - hem/ I shall expect to see you up to our house soon whether/ Thomas ___ company or not. It is quite inconvenient for me/ you know." (handwritten)
Associated With Cooper-Frost-Austin House (Cambridge, Mass.),
Norton, Hannah (Embroiderer)
16 x 13 1/2 (HxW) (inches)
Bequest of Eleanor Clarke Bowser
1982.239
Historic New England is committed to implementing reparative language description for existing collections and creating respectful and inclusive language description for new collections. If you encounter language in Historic England's Collections Access Portal that is harmful or offensive, or you find materials that would benefit from a content warning, please contact [email protected].