Object Number 1953.0171.001 A

Object Name

Needlework coat of arms (Embroidered hatchment)

Title

Penhallow/Kneeland family coat of arms

Category

Textiles (Needlework)

Credit Line/Donor

Museum purchase

Creator (Role)

Prudence Kneeland Penhallow (Maker)
January 2, 1731-1810
Samuel Penhallow (born c. 1720, died 1813), married Prudence Kneeland the maker of this coat of arms, who was born January 2, 1731 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts to parents John Kneeland of Boston and his second wife, Prudence Clark. Prudence was John's only daughter. Samuel and Prudence Kneeland married on November 9, 1749. They lived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and had no children. Samuel was a highly respected local magistrate and Deacon of the North Church, and lived there for more than sixty years. As a judge, he was known for his swift and impartial dispensation of the law. See the Penhallow House where Samuel and Prudence lived: (http://www.strawberybanke.org/index.php?option=com_content&id=127&Itemid=163, accessed April 21, 2015) Prudence (Kneeland) Penhallow died in 1810. This hatchment may have been worked for Prudence by an older or younger half-sister, Dorcas (1727-1755) or Mary (b. 1740). (Ring, Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. I, p. 272.) (See Notes and Multimedia Tabs.)

Place of Origin

New Hampshire or Massachusetts, New England, United States, North America

Date

1740-1760

Mark or Signature or Inscription or Label

1. Inscription; Note back of the frame; "The Penhallow Arms---Rabbets--- / (A goat all proper-) as the Crest. / Done in tent-stitch by the wife of Deacon / Samuel Penhalllow (Prudence Kneeland of / Boston, Mass\tts & quartered with the Arms of Kneeland and Count Pantvannon [?] who mar / ried a Penhallow. The national Fleur / de-lis was probably used simply to de / note a French alliance." (handwritten)

Subjects

Armorial device

Materials

Wool; Canvas; Silk

Techniques

Embroidered, Woven (plain), Canvaswork

Construction Description

Hand-embroidered

Dimensions (inches)

27.5 (L) , 27.5 (W)

Dimensions (centimeters)

69.85 (L) , 69.85 (W)

Measurement Notes

Dimensions refer to area of needlework visible within frame.

Object Description

Text available soon.

Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes

[Book] Sweeney, John A. H. 1963 The Treasure House of Early American Rooms.
• Illustrated: p. 29
[Book] Ring, Betty. 1993 Girlhood Embroidery: American Samplers & Pictorial Needlework 1650-1850. I.
• Listed: p. 272