Sampler (Alphabet or marking sampler)

Description

This is a linen alphabet or marking sampler worked with Berlin wool threads. In the 19th century, making a sampler was part of almost every young girl's schooling, including this example by Annie C. Smith of New Castle, Delaware. Annie was eleven years old when she worked her sampler, around 1850. She used soft, Berlin wool, also referred to as "zephyr" or "merino" wool, that was popular for canvas work embroidery during the second quarter of the 19th century. This sampler can be compared to that of her aunt, Hannah McIntire, who was also eleven years old when she made hers. The deterioration in both the aesthetic and the technical quality of the embroidery with Annie's sampler is not so much due to a decrease in skill as a change in the nature of women's education. The inscription on this sampler is as follows: "Annie C Smith in her 11th Year".