Object Number 1980.0060

Object Name

Sampler (Spot motif sampler)

Category

Textiles (Needlework)

Credit Line/Donor

Museum purchase

Creator (Role)

Elisabeth Waner (Maker)
Not much is known about Elisabeth Waner. Two dates are shown on her sampler, meaning it was probably worked by her between 1817 and 1820. It has strong characteristics typical of Pennsylvania German work, such as strong-colored yarns and irregularly balanced motifs and elements, placing its possible origins in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The central heart motif circled by the letters "B, D, D, E, O, E, H" likely standing for "Oh, noble heart ponder well thy end," indicates that Elisabeth Warner was probably a Mennonite. Purchase Offer Memo from Nancy E. Richards to Dr. James Morton Smith, dated May 13, 1980. See object files in the Registrar's Office.

Place of Origin

Penn Township, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Mid-Atlantic, United States, North America

Origin Notes

Possibly Warwick (now Penn Township)

Date

1817-1820

Mark or Signature or Inscription or Label

1. Inscription; Upper band, between alphabets; "ELISABETH <> WANER" (silk threads)
2. Label; Tied on tag; "1980.60 / #31 / Winterthur Object / (Sampler" (graphite)

Materials

Linen; Silk; Cotton

Techniques

Embroidered, Woven (plain)

Construction Description

Hand-embroidered

Dimensions (inches)

17.5 (L) , 16.375 (W)

Dimensions (centimeters)

44.45 (L) , 41.592 (W)

Measurement Notes

Measurements by sight, in frame. Linen count: 34-36 threads per inch.

Object Description

Text available soon.

Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes

[Book] Cooper, Wendy A. & Minardi, Lisa. Paint, Pattern & People: Furniture of Southeastern Pennsylvania 1725-1850.
• Published: fig. 1.46, p. 34.
[Book] Hersh, Charles & Hersh, Tandy. 1991 Samplers of the Pennsylvania Germans.
• Published: fig. 3-55, p. 103; fig. 5-2, p. 202; information on carnation motif, p. 103.
[Book] Swan, Susan Burrows. 1995 Plain and Fancy: American Women and their Needlework, 1650-1850.
• Sampler with similar motifs, p. 133, fig. 71, information on show pieces, p. 133, fig. 17
[Book] Ring, Betty. 1987 American Needlework Treasures, Samplers and Silk Embroideries from the Collection of Betty Ring.
• Sampler with similar motifs, p. 42, fig. 68
[Book] Gehret, Ellen J., et al. 1985 This Is the Way I Pass My Time. 18.
•
[Article] Swan, Susan Burrows. 1981 New Samplers Reflect Their Culture and Time. Winterthur Newsletter. (Fall)
• Published