Needlework picture (Silkwork picture)

Description

Dated 1796, this is a needleework picture of the Derby School in Hingham, Massachusetts, worked by Rachel Thaxter using silk threads over an ivory satin ground. The Derby School was the first co-educational school in this country, and officially became the Derby Academy in 1797. It is still in operation today, and members of the Thaxter family continue to be enrolled. The date on Rachel Thaxter's silkwork picture suggests that she may have been under the tutelage of Hingham native Lucy Lane, the school's first preceptress. The work of Lucy's pupils share distinctive characteristics: the scenes were copied from prints, but no paint or ink was used to transfer the design. In addition the trees in this particular group were worked in long stitches with brambly edges and light seeded dots throughout the foliage. The inscription on Rachel's picture reads: "Rachel Thaxter, aged 12 years 1796"