Textiles (Needlework)
Rebecca Way (Maker)
Chester, Pennsylvania, Mid-Atlantic, United States, North America
Chester, Pennsylvania, Mid-Atlantic, United States, North America
Silk; Linen
Embroidered, Woven (plain)
1959.1133
Object Number1959.1133 |
Sampler (Verse sampler)
Textiles (Needlework)
Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont
Rebecca Way (Maker)
This sampler was worked by Rebecca Way of Chester County, Pennsylvania while in attendance at the Brandywine Boarding School in 1818. The Brandywine Boarding School was founded in 1816 and led by George Pierce, Jr. in Chester County, Brandywine Township, 5 miles from Downingtown. It was only in operation for five years. Rebecca's father, James Way of Philadelphia, was a good friend of Pierce, received supscriptions for the school. (See object files in Registration.)
Chester, Pennsylvania, Mid-Atlantic, United States, North America
Chester, Pennsylvania, Mid-Atlantic, United States, North America
1. Inscription; Bottom line of text; "Rebecca Way./ 1818" (embroidered silk threads)
Silk; Linen
Embroidered, Woven (plain)
Hand-embroidered
11.5 (L) , 13.1 (W)
29.21 (L) , 33.274 (W)
Dimensions refer to area of needlework visible within frame.
This is a linen verse sampler worked with navy blue silk threads in 1818 by Rebecca Way who attended the Brandywine Boarding School. The school, though only in operation for five years, proved to be an example of excellent instruction. Rebecca's sampler features an undulating vine-and-leaf border in the style of the Westtown School, a style that seems to have been adopted by other schools run by the Society of Friends. The vine-and-leaf border surrounds an excerpt from English poet Edward Young's "Night Thoughts on Life, Death, & Immortality, "Night VII" " written between 1742 and 1745. Young was immensely popular and was much read in America in the early 19th century. The inscription on Rebecca's sampler follows: "Brandywine Boarding School. / The Almighty, from his throne, on earth surveys / Nought greater, than an honest, humble heart, / An humble heart, his residence pronounced / His second seat, and rival to the skies. / The private path, the secret acts of men, / If noble, far the noblest of our lives. / Young. / Rebecca Way. / 1818"
[Book] Swan, Susan Burrows. 1977 Plain & Fancy: American Women and Their Needlework, 1700-1850.
• Published: p. 64, 65, fig. 30