Object Number 1994.0033

Object Name

Sampler (Map sampler)

Category

Textiles (Needlework)

Credit Line/Donor

Anonymous gift

Creator (Role)

Elizabeth Leoser (Maker)
05/29/1820
Elizabeth Smith Leoser was born on May 29, 1820, the third child of Jacob Leoser and Sarah Bull Smith Leoser of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Elizabeth's father died in September of 1823 during a furnace accident at Dale Furnace in Hereford Township. Sarah, her mother, could not support their four children so she petitioned the Orphan's Court of Berks County to appoint them guardians. After being split up briefly into different homes, all four children were finally sent to live with their mother's brother-in-law, William Darling, who probably took in Sarah as well. Darling most likely retained guardianship of the Leoser children through the 1830's. He may have also sent the youngest children, including Elizabeth, to live with family in Philadelphia for schooling, taking advantage of the new public school system established in the city. One clue that Elizabeth went to school in Philadelphia is her map sampler, worked in wool, cotton, and silk threads on linen canvas in 1831. She names the Penn Township Public School on her sampler. Her teacher was Julia Ann Byrne. Elizabeth also worked another sampler at Penn Township in 1832. Leoser was also spelled "Loeser"

Julia Ann Byrne (School mistress)
Julia Ann Byrne worked more than thirty years within the First School District of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and must have instructed many girls in whose needlework has not been found. First she worked there as a teacher and then became the principal. Little is known about her life. The significance of the map sampler from Penn Township Public Schools is not the patterns used, but what they reveal about public school efforts in the nineteenth century. The school district provided basic education to thousands of Philadelphia children while emulating the lessons used by many private schools. The schools did not replace private schools; instead they emulated the lessons of private instructions to shape the growing population. (See Hayward, Mary Jane. Thesis: American Map Samplers, for more information on Julia Ann Byrne and the First School District.)

Place of Origin

Pennsylvania, Mid-Atlantic, United States, North America

Secondary Place of Origin

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

Secondary Origin Notes

Elizabeth Leoser worked this sampler while attending the Penn Township Public School. Julia Ann Byrne was her instructress.

Date

1831

Mark or Signature or Inscription or Label

1. Inscription; on sampler; "Elizabeth Leoser done in the 11th year of her age. July 23d 1831. Penn Township Public School. J.A. Byrne Instructress" (embroidered thread)

Materials

Linen; Wool; Cotton; Silk

Techniques

Embroidered, Woven (plain)

Construction Description

Hand-embroidered

Dimensions (inches)

19 (L) , 24 (W)

Dimensions (centimeters)

48.26 (L) , 60.96 (W)

Measurement Notes

Measurements are of the area visible within the frame. Frame measurements: H 23.750" x W 29.000" x D 1.750"

Object Description

Web - 09/10/2014

Map samplers are very rare. The curriculum in public schools that provided education for working-class and middle-class girls included the assignment of map samplers in order to instruct pupils in needle skills and test their knowledge of geography. This sampler by Elizabeth Leoser uses the cross-stitch, back stitch, and seed stitch to mark the boundaries of the state and counties as well as rivers and mountain ranges. She attended the Penn Township Public School, which opened in 1831 and provided free education for children in north Philadelphia. Her map sampler is made of lesser-quality materials. The inscription on Elizabeth's sampler reads: "Elizabeth Leoser done in the 11th year of her age. July 23d 1831. Penn Township Public School. J.A. Byrne Instructress"

Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes

[Thesis] Hayward, Mary Jane. 1998 American Map Samplers and The First School District of Pennsylvania. M.A. American Studies
• Information on Elizabeth Leoser, pp. 22-26
[Book] Tyner, Judith A. 2014 Stitching the World: Map Samplers and Women's Geographical Education.
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