Object Number 1984.0094 A

Object Name

Needlework picture (Mourning picture)

Category

Textiles (Needlework)

Credit Line/Donor

Gift of William A. Henry in memory of Bessie Maynard Henry

Creator (Role)

Diana Harriet Cogswell (Maker)
1793-March 31, 1876
Diana Harriet Cogswell was born in Weston, Massachusetts in 1793. It is not known where she embroidered her 1803 marking sampler (1984.0095), though she is thought to have attended Mrs. Rowson's school. Susanna Haswell Rowson (1762-1824), opened her school for girls in 1797 in Boston, Massachusetts. In spite of her early career in theater, Mrs. Rowson quickly gained respect as a teacher, passing on her artistic skills to her students. In 1803, she moved her school to Newton, Massachusetts for a few years, and then later, back to Boston. Diana Cogswell also created a silkwork mourning picture (1984.0094), probably while at Mrs. Rowson's school. The mourning picture, created between 1810 and 1822, is similar to other work done at the school, located on Hollins Street in Boston. Diana married Ephraim Maynard in 1813 and moved to Westboro, Massachusetts. She died in Westboro in 1876. (See object files for Diana's complete genealogy.)(See Ring, Betty. Girlhood Embroidery, p. 88 for more information on Mrs. Rowson and her school.)(RGW, 07/08/2014)

Susanna Haswell Rowson (School mistress)
1762-1824
Susanna Haswell Rowson was born in Portsmouth, England in 1762 to Lt. Haswell, a British Naval officer (d. 1805), and her mother, Susanna Musgrove, who died giving birth to her. In 1786, at the age of twenty-four, Susanna married William Rowson. Susanna was a novelist, playwright, and actress who performed with her husband in several American cities. They signed a contract to appear on stage permanently in Philadelphia and then finally in Boston. She retired from the stage at the age of thirty-five. Boston's most celebrated girls' school of the Federal period was opened in 1797 by Susanna. Despite the disadvantage of a recent career in theater, this clever and hard-working woman quickly gained respect as a teacher, and her school was well patronized until her retirement in 1822. Her school became noted for the public performances of its students and the exhibitions of their work. She supervised every aspect of her school and endeared herself to her students. In 1803, Mrs. Rowson moved her school from Boston to Medford and then to Newton, and finally returned to Boston in May of 1807. Rowson remained as head preceptress until 1822, at which time the school was willed to her niece and an adopted daughter. Susanna died in 1824. (Ring, Betty. Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. I, p. 88 )

Place of Origin

Massachusetts, New England, United States, North America

Secondary Place of Origin

Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, New England, United States, North America

Date

1803-1813

Materials

Silk; Ink; Watercolor; Paint; Paper

Techniques

Embroidered, Woven (plain), Painted

Construction Description

Hand-embroidered, hand-painted

Dimensions (inches)

21.5 (L) , 17.5 (W)

Dimensions (centimeters)

54.61 (L) , 44.45 (W)

Measurement Notes

Dimensions refer to the area visible within the frame.

Object Description

Web - 08/25/2014

This is a needlework mourning picture with silk threads on a silk ground. It was worked by by Diana H. Cogswell of Massachusetts between 1803 and 1813. Diana also created an earlier marking sampler, just before working this mourning picture. She is thought to have been taught at Mrs. Rowson's school. Susanna Haswell Rowson (1762-1824) opened her school for girls in 1797 in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1803, she moved her school to Newton, Massachusetts for a few years and then later back to Boston. It is unclear whether Diana attended the Newton or the Boston location. Rowson's school also used type-set epitaphs. On the one currently known signed Rowson's school mourning picture, the stylized willow tree does not curve as extremely as it does on this one. A small group of pieces with willow trees are known like this but no school has been located for them.

Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes

[Book] Swan, Susan Burrows. 1995 Plain and Fancy: American Women and their Needlework, 1650-1850.
• Published: p. 192, fig. 109
[Book] Ring, Betty. 1993 Girlhood Embroidery: American Samplers & Pictorial Needlework 1650-1850. I.
• pg. 88-93 - information on Susanna Rowson's school
[Article] Giffen, Jane C. 1970 Susanna Rowson and Her Academy. Antiques. 98 (3): 436-440.
•
[Book] 1908 More Old Houses of Westborough, Massachusetts, and Vicinity With Their Occupants. 43-47.
•