Object Number 1958.2226 A

Object Name

Needlework coat of arms (Embroidered hatchment)

Category

Textiles (Needlework)

Credit Line/Donor

Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont

Creator (Role)

Ann Flower (Maker)
1743-1778
Ann Flower was from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She worked a needlework coat of arms in 1763. She also worked a cover for a "Book of Common Prayer" in 1765, the year of her marriage to Samuel Wheeler (1742-1820). A quilt signed by Ann can be found at Colonial Williamsburg.

Place of Origin

Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mid-Atlantic, United States, North America

Materials

Silk; Metal

Techniques

Embroidered, Woven (plain)

Construction Description

Hand-embroidered

Dimensions (inches)

8 (L) , 8.5 (W)

Dimensions (centimeters)

20.32 (L) , 21.59 (W)

Measurement Notes

The measurements are of the area visible within the frame.

Object Description

Web - 01/20/2016

This is a needlework coat of arms wrought by Ann Flower of Philadelphia in 1763. It was worked with silk and metallic threads on cream silk moire. Ann's prayer book cover, dated 1765, is also in Winterthur's collection. Colonial Williamsburg also owns a quilt signed by Ann. This coat of arms seems to represent an accurate version of the Flower family arms. Here they bear the cypher "A F" for Ann Flower.

Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes

[Book] Swan, Susan Burrows. 1995 Plain and Fancy: American Women and their Needlework, 1650-1850.
• Published: p. 105, fig. 52
[Book] Swan, Susan Burrows. 1976 A Winterthur Guide to American Needlework.
• Published: p. 137, fig. 97