Sampler (Alphabet or band sampler)

Description

This is a silk on linen alphabet or band sampler worked in 1738 by Hepzebah Baker of Boston, Massachusetts. This sampler is one of a group of Boston samplers currently identified with a particular unknown school. The narrow upper bands and a band of hexagons, usually toward the center, are characteristic of this group. Many of these samplers also feature an Adam and Eve panel. This sampler is unusual as it features a tree, several birds, and flower-filled vases instead. Within this group, all of the alphabets have the early A's, no J's, and no U's. On Hepzebah's sampler, there are a few places where the original ink lines are still visible. The inscription, separated by the large tree motif, reads: Right: "Hepzebah / Baker end / of her age" Left: "this sampler / in the thir / teen year / 1737"