Needlecase

Museum Object Number 1955.0003.005

Object Name

Needlecase

Category

Textiles (Needlework)

Credit Line/Donor

Gift of Henry Francis du Pont

Creator (Role)

Mary Wright Alsop (Knitter)

Creator Notes

Mary Wright Alsop was born in Middletown, Connecticut in 1740. She was the only child of Joseph Wright (1704-1775) and Hanah Gilbert Wright (1718-1804). Her father was a prosperous farmer and brickyard owner. An only child, she received an education at Sarah Osborn's School in Newport, Rhode Island in 1754. Mary married Richard Alsop (1726-1776), also of Middletown, on April 27, 1760. Richard, from a wealthy New York family, developed a successful business as a Middletown-based West Indies merchant. Mary gave birth to ten children during their 16-year marriage, eight of which survived past infancy. Richard died unexpectedly at the age of 50, in 1776. Richard had made Mary sole administratrix of his vast estate, which took 14 years to settle. Enslaved labor afforded Mary Wright Alsop the time to produce ornamental needlework throughout her adult life. In 1792 Mary sat for a portrait by Ralph Earl, a carte-de-visite of which (1955.0003.021) forms part of the Alsop needlework collection at Winterthur. Mary died in 1829 in Middletown at the age of 89. Mary’s embroideries and knitted objects survive in several museums and private collections.

Date of Birth

1740

Date of Death

1829

Place of Origin

Middletown, Connecticut, United States, North America

Date

1814-1814

Mark or Signature or Inscription or Label

1. Inscription; inside pocket, handwritten card; "Needlebook / Knit and made by my / Great Grandmother / Mary Wright Alsop / (Mrs. Richard Alsop) / for her Son Joseph W. Alsop's / Wife Lucy Whittels(e)y Alsop / Lucy Chaunc(e)y Alsop." (handwritten, ink)
2. Signature; under flap; "L: ALSOP" (knit silk threads)

Materials

Silk; Linen; Canvas; Cardboard; Baize

Techniques

Knit, Woven (plain), Sewn

Construction Description

Hand-knit

Dimensions (inches)

4.25 (L) , 3.75 (W)

Dimensions (centimeters)

10.795 (L) , 9.525 (W)

Object Description

Text available soon.

Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes

[Journal] Krueger, Glee. "A Middletown Cameo: Mary Wright Alsop and Her Needlework.". Connecticut Historical Society Museum & Library Vol. 52, No.3-4 Summer/Fall 1987
• Published: pp. 190-191, fig. 24; pp. 125-137, biography of Mary
[Book] Swan, Susan Burrows. 1977 Plain & Fancy: American Women and Their Needlework, 1700-1850.
• Published: p.116, pl. 20
[Book] Swan, Susan Burrows. 1995 Plain and Fancy: American Women and their Needlework, 1650-1850.
• Published: p. 148, pl. 22
[Book] Swan, Susan Burrows. 1976 A Winterthur Guide to American Needlework.
• Published: p. 125, fig. 88