Sampler (Fancy sampler)

Description

This is a linen fancy verse sampler worked with silk threads. In the 19th century, making a sampler was part of almost every young girl's schooling, including this example by Hannah McIntire of White Clay Creek in New Castle County, Delaware in 1790. Hannah was eleven years old when she worked her sampler. This type is often termed "fancy" because it has decorative embellishments that showcase her skill with a needle. The fine workmanship is an indicator of the investment made in her education. The sampler does not appear to have ever been attached to a backing or even framed for display, which may account for the silk threads retaining their brilliant color. Hannah's sampler has characteristics similar to those done by other White Clay Creek girls. The inscription on this sampler is as follows: "Youth tho' yet no loffes griev you / Gay in health and many a grace / Let not cloudless skies deceive you / Summer gives to atumn place / On the tree of life eternal / hayst all thy hopes be stay'd / Which alone forever vernal / Bears the leaves that never fade / Hannah McIntiers Sampler / made in August 3 AD 1790 in the Eleventh year of her / Age".