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For internal use only
On Display: House - Marlboro Room
Needlework picture (Canvaswork picture)
Fishing Lady
Priscilla A. Allen
Description
Priscilla Allen worked this wool on linen canvaswork picture in 1746. The available biographical information about Priscilla indicates her family lived in Falmouth, Maine near Cape Elizabeth. The explanation for "Boston" occurring in the inscription is that Priscilla probably completed the picture while attending boarding school in Boston, a probability that conforms to other known histories of needlework pictures of the period. The figures were derived from "LeSoir," an engraving by Claudine Bouzonnet (C. Stella) after Jacques Stella. This is the only known "Fishing Lady" picture to name Boston. The inscription on Priscilla's picture reads: "PRISCILLA A. ALLEN DAUGHTER TO MR BENJAMIN ALLEN AND MRS / ELIZABETH ALLEN BOSTON JULY THE 20 1746"
Category
Textiles (Needlework)
Creator/Artist/Maker
Priscilla A. Allen (Maker)
Place of Origin
Maine; New England; United States; North America
Materials
- Silk
- Wool
- Canvas
- Linen
- Metallic thread
Museum Object Number
1962.0588
Credit Line/Donor
Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont
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Complete Details
Object Number
1962.0588
Object Name
Needlework picture (Canvaswork picture)
Title
Fishing Lady
Category
Textiles (Needlework)
Creator (Role)
Priscilla A. Allen (Maker)
Place of Origin
Maine; New England; United States; North America
Secondary Place of Origin
Boston; Massachusetts; Suffolk; New England; United States; North America
Secondary Origin Notes
Probable school.
Mark/Signature/Inscription/Label
Type: Inscription
Location: on the sampler
Inscription: "PRISCILLA A. ALLEN DAUGHTER TO MR BENJAMIN ALLEN AND MRS / ELIZABETH ALLEN BOSTON JULY THE 20 1746" (embroidered yarn)
Type: Label
Location: on side edge of frame
Inscription: "62.589" (red paint)
Type: Label
Location: tied to frame hook
Inscription: "62.588 / MARLBORO RM / (5)" [over] "Frame/ 62.589" (graphite)
Mark/Signature: Yes
Materials
- Silk
- Wool
- Canvas
- Linen
- Metallic thread
Techniques
- Embroidered
- Woven (plain)
- Canvaswork
Construction Description
Hand-embroidered
Dimensions (inches)
14.875 (W) x 20.5 (L)
Dimensions (centimeters)
37.783 (W) x 52.07 (L)
Measurement Notes
Dimensions refer to area of needlework visible within frame. The canvas has 21 warps per inch and 22 wefts per inch.