Object Number 1969.0217 A

Object Name

Needlework picture (Mourning picture)

Category

Textiles (Needlework)

Credit Line/Donor

Museum purchase

Creator (Role)

Mary Downing (Probable maker)
This silk mourning picture came from Mrs. Howell T. Young of Venice, Florida, who says that it came from her great-great-grandmother, Mary Downing who attended the Moravian School at Lititz, and later married Dr. Jacob Sharpless. They lived in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, which town was named for her family. It came to Mrs. Young from her great-aunt's home, "Summit Hall" at Exton, Pennsylvania. This is a most unusual example because of its family documentation and design. It was prepared in memory of Webster Downing and has been retained in this Pennsylvania family by direct and collateral descendants. (RGW, 07/13/2015)

Place of Origin

Lititz, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Mid-Atlantic, United States, North America

Mark or Signature or Inscription or Label

1. Inscription; On the picture, tombstone legend; "to the Memory / Brother / Webster Down(ing]" (paint)
2. Inscription; On the stretcher; "MSD 1819" and "Mrs George Jacobs Walnut [illegible] 142 $4.25" (graphite)

Subjects

Moravian

Materials

Silk; Watercolor; Chenille

Techniques

Embroidered, Woven (twill)

Construction Description

Hand-embroidered, hand-painted

Dimensions (inches)

19.5 (H) , 19.06 (W) , 17.9 (Image H) , 17.8 (Image W)

Dimensions (centimeters)

49.53 (H) , 48.412 (W) , 17.9 (Image H) , 17.8 (Image W)

Measurement Notes

Measurements by sight, in frame. H at left. W at bottom. Image H and W of needlework at center.

Object Description

Text available soon.

Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes

[Book] Swan, Susan Burrows. 1995 Plain and Fancy: American Women and their Needlework, 1650-1850.
• Published: p. 70, fig. 39
[Book] Swan, Susan Burrows. 1976 A Winterthur Guide to American Needlework.
• Published: p. 102, fig. 73