Current Selections

All samplers in our current selections are priced and available for sale. Read about their specific history, condition and research here.

Sampler Price Index

| PA German | | Reed | | Soley |

Phebe Ackerman, Fishkill, New York, 1831 We offer her fine sampler, which she eloquently and unusually notes, was "delineated by Phebe Ackerman aged 10 years 2 weeks 3 days Anno Domini 1831."

Silk Purse owned by Sally Adams, with papers regarding her tenure as a student at Mary Balch’s school, 1813 The two most interesting papers are a personal note signed by Miss Balch…

Louisa Arneke, Germany, 1792 …a great assortment of pictorial motifs as is presented on Louisa's sampler: cupboard on base, birds and trees, a chair and table, sewing pillow, baskets, deer, crayfish…

ASF, German sampler, dated 1766 Samplers made in the middle of the 18th century in northern Europe can offer interesting pictorial subjects arranged in pleasing compositions and executed in a fine vocabulary of stitches.

Henrietta Salara Baker, Plaistow, New Hampshire, 1823 While in Plaistow, Miss Baker worked this lovely family record…

Sarah Elizabeth Bannister, New England, circa 1820 This handsome and detailed house was rendered with a stone façade, a pitched roof and a widow's walk nested between two chimneys.

Two Samplers by Lucinda Beck, Montgomery County, New York, 1831 & 1836 Rarely do we find samplers from the same family let alone made by the same person.

Mary Belden, Burlington, Connecticut, 1835 The small town of Burlington, Connecticut, located 17 miles west of Hartford, was home to the family of Isaac and Sophia (Moses) Belden and their ten children.

Agness Blackburn, Lancashire, England, circa 1838 ...Miss Blackburn created an array of motifs; and in the English tradition, a symmetrical composition.

Syrena Blanchard, Wilton, New Hampshire, 1826 Syrena Blanchard's splendid sampler evidences an unusual composition which combines well with her freeform needlework…

The Finding of Moses, Ann Bramley, England 1846 The personality of this piece is purely mid 19th century, with fashionable costume for the young ladies and rich garlands of flowers forming borders.

Margaret W. Brown, Woodbury, Gloucester County, New Jersey, 1838 A large and nicely composed flower arrangement in a patterned, double-handled urn dominates this charming little sampler…

Bullfinch and Basket of Strawberries, England, circa 1825 ...details such as the pairs of cherries joined at their stems and the stylish scroll contribute greatly to the composition.

Napoleon Buonaparte Sampler, England, circa 1810 This most unusual little needlework is inscribed "Buonaparte the Ex Emperor of France" and depicts Napoleon brandishing his sword as he rides his white horse, which is rearing its head in a majestic fashion.

Lydia Burrough, Burlington County, New Jersey, 1792 ...a fascinating small group made in southern New Jersey in the late 18th and early 19th centuries; indeed Lydia's sampler is this group's earliest known example.

Calligraphy from “Po-Keepsie,” New York, Late 19th Century Calligraphy is the art of beautiful and embellished writing…

Polly Campbell, Putney, Vermont, 1800 Vermont samplers are decidedly difficult to come across and we are very pleased to offer this wonderfully documented, endearing little example

E. M. Chater, England, 1849 …an earnest verse through two thirds of the sampler, and, divided by a decorative band with finely executed eyelet stitches…

Elisabeth Conn, Scotland, circa 1830 This charming sampler is a quintessential example of early 19th century Scottish samplers.

Pinkeep, Eliza Cook, England, circa 1860 Young girls frequently made little needlworked objects as presentation pieces, and many of these served a practical purpose as tools for stitchers.

Cyanotype on Cotton Ground, Biddeford, Maine, Late 19th Century A cyanotype is created by a photographic process, which was discovered in 1842.

Darning Sampler, northern Europe, 1788 This darning sampler is a particularly splendid example and an impressive demonstration of the stitcher's skill.

Basket of Flowers with Butterflies and Sheep, Delaware, circa 1810 ...this exuberant silk embroidered picture with its latticework basket of flowers sitting on a hill of plants, berries and miniature sheep.

Marian Diamond, Albany, New York, 1811 ...Miss Diamond inscribes her sampler after her alphabets, "Marian Diamond Her Work Albany May 6th 1811."

Downe Family Register, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, circa 1825 The sampler is attractively worked; with long stitches creating both the ground and the columned arch, which give an overall luster to the sampler.

Dutch Motif Sampler Initialed LVG, 1786 This outstanding sampler is one of the most beautifully worked Dutch samplers we have come across in years.

Elizabeth C. Fanning, Jewett City, Connecticut, 1831 ...only 7 years old in 1831, worked this fine alphabet and verse sampler.

FCC, Plain Sewing Samplers, European, circa 1850 This pair of samplers demonstrates the plain sewing techniques of buttonhole making, darning and mending, and was made in the middle of the19th century in northern Europe.

Miniature Silk Embroidery, France, Early 19th Century ...charming little silk embroidery is comprised of various imagery and texture in one tiny setting.

Friesian Sampler, DF, 1738 An early date, strong coloration and fine stitches combine to make this an unusual and praiseworthy sampler.

Rebecca C. Fritts, Nine Partners School, Dutchess Co., New York, 1826 Rebecca's fine and precisely stitched sampler features a verse entitled "Religion" and surrounded by a curvilinear border of leaves and buds…

Charlotte Frye, Andover, Massachusetts, 1811 A hilly lawn forms the base for little trees and potted plants and flowers with splendid blossoms on vines growing out of a pair of baskets and forming the side borders.

Geffroy Family Print-work Silk Embroidery, Mary Balch School, Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1818 Amongst the excellent silk embroideries worked at the Balch School in Providence, Rhode Island is a group of print-work memorials, worked between 1810 and 1820.

Mercy Gillow, St. Nicholas at Wade, Kent, England, 1769 ...sampler features a biblical verse in both French and English and is sophisticated as well as charming.

Keziah A. Hilliard, Burlington Co. NJ, 1836 A house in three-quarter view has vines growing up one side and a wonderful large bird on its roof.

Sarah Holl, England, 1805 Lavish use of the eyelet stitch attests to the maker's aptitude in the needle arts and adds to the appeal of this antique sampler, which is reminiscent of the fine work that had appeared on sophisticated English samplers for centuries at that point.

Louisa Hose, England, dated 1840 This is a wonderful miniature sampler, which Louisa Hose stitched in September of 1840.

Mary Howe, England, 1832 Mary Howe worked her sampler in 1832; a handsome pictorial piece featuring a large 16th century manor house on a sloping lawn.

ICH, Hamburg, Germany, 1819 ...stitched the crest of the city of Hamburg: three towers of a castle flanked by a pair of crowned lions.

Buttonhole Sampler, initialed IDA, Germany, 1811 This is an exquisite little sampler which demonstrates the fine art of making buttonholes…

Silk embroidered picture, Italy, circa 1800 …a delightful little embroidered picture, the subject of which is a rural scene with ruins from antiquity in the foreground.

“John and Ellin” Ship sampler, Wales, circa 1825 The Register of Shipping, published yearly in London by the Society for the Registry of Shipping indicates that the "John and Ellin" (or Ellen) was built in Sunderland and sailed from 1822 until 1829.

Emily Knox, York County, Maine, 1826 While family record samplers were made throughout New England, we have not previously seen one of a similar design and execution.

Polly Loring, Hingham, Massachusetts, 1787 This fine 18th century American sampler was made in 1787 by Polly Loring of Hingham, Massachusetts and it is listed in the important 1921 book, American Samplers by Bolton and Coe.

Sally G. Lovejoy, Wilton, New Hampshire, circa 1810 …is a fine rarity: a delicately worked little American sampler that is listed in the highly important 1921 publication entitled American Samplers, by Bolton and Coe.

Ellen Augusta Mansfield, New Haven, Connecticut, 1845 Ellen practiced her alphabets incorporating the eyelet stitch, cross stitch and four-sided stitch.

Sarah Martin, Ormskirk, England, 1830 ...a noteworthy verse entitled "Inscription on a Sundial." The verse was written by Nathaniel Cotton (1705-1788) and published in 1791.

Caroline E. Mead, Smyrna, Chenango County, NY, 1832 Fittingly, Caroline illustrated her verse with a depiction of a rose blossom and buds.

Elizabeth Jane Morris, Bushington, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1845 The family history is particularly interesting…

Dorcas Morton, New England, 1820 The naive, folk-like quality of this piece gives it a special charm.

Julia Naden, American or English, 1837 "Piety and virtue are particularly graceful and becoming in all."

Sarah Parker, Bradford, Massachusetts, 1799 A small group of handsome samplers were made in Andover and Bradford, Massachusetts at the end of the 18th century and the very beginning of the 19th century.

"Memen to Mori" silk embroidery, Moses and Elizabeth Peck, Boston, Massachusetts, circa 1810 The classical lines of Federal design of the period form the black and white monument which is surmounted by a large flame-top urn.

Pennsylvania German Sampler dated 1820, Warwick, Lancaster County, PA …samplers made by Mennonites from the Warwick area of Lancaster County, north of the city of Lancaster, share strong regional characteristics and the specific elements that appear on this finely worked 1820 example.

Les Pensionnaires Pieuse, France, circa 1820 This splendid silk embroidered picture depicts "The Pious Pensioners," a young lady and a girl in an outdoor setting, with a little shrine set up in a tree.

Pictorial Sampler, Scotland, 1809 ...appreciated for its unusual composition, its folky imagery and its excellent needlework.

Pin Cushion, America, 1879 …worked in the tradition of a sampler, having initials, woven baskets, a building and the date 1879…

“Merry Christmas” Pin Cushion, English, circa 1915 Amongst the clusters and linear decoration of pinned glass beads, British flags adorn each side of the top of the heart.

Pocketbook, European, late 18th century Delicate pocketbook bears the German inscription "A memento of our friendship," inscribed on a cottage, reminding us that pocket books were often gifts of affection.

Mary Raymond, Mont Vernon, New Hampshire, 1821 ...precedent to her marriage in 1839 Mary was a teacher, as well as the principal at the nearby Female Seminary of Hancock.

Charlotte Reed, Milton, Massachusetts, 1813 It features a lengthy poem that addresses the maker directly and uses the sampler as a metaphor for the actions that should guide one's behavior in life…

Kezia Ridgway, Salem County, New Jersey, 1800 …part of the important collection belonging to Joan Stephens and studied by scholar Betty Ring…

Postrema Ridgway, Burlington County, New Jersey, circa 1805 This splendid small pictorial sampler boasts excellent composition and outstanding needlework.

Ann Louisa Robbinson, Falmouth, Massachusetts, 1838 ...this praiseworthy sampler features a fine townscape of many buildings and trees, with various alphabets above, and a fine honeysuckle border surrounding it on four sides.

Eliza Sanger, Newton Academy, Mass., 1805 While the school has been known to scholars and historians, this is the only sampler known to have been made at the Newton Academy.

Laura M. Soley, Duanesburg, Schenectady County, New York, 1846 ...handsome alphabet and family record sampler, which also portrays a fine large building with four chimneys and side wings.

Spot Sampler, England, mid 17th century …this fine spot motif sampler worked in England circa 1640 to 1660; it exhibits twenty beautifully worked geometric designs…

Elizabeth Stanford, probably Scottish, circa 1790 Scottish schoolteachers frequently held their students to high standards and their samplers are wonderful indicators.

Stanwood Family Silk Embroidered Memorial, Massachusetts or New York, circa 1805 The death of George Washington in December of 1799 sparked a national vogue for public mourning that endured for decades.

Harriet Stevens, Celebrating Gen. Lafayette’s Visit, Kennebunk, Maine, 1825 Harriet Stevens, an eight-year-old living in the small coastal town of Kennebunk, Maine, worked her sampler to document and celebrate the historic visit of General Lafayette.

Caroline E. Stoddard, Chesterfield, New Hampshire, circa 1835 …an unusual aesthetic, with all of the lettering in deep blue on a pale linen ground.

Margaret Stonesipher, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 1849 The large, pictorial samplers of western Pennsylvania, made into the 1840s, have been well documented by scholars and curators for decades.

Elizabeth Stuard, probably American, 1793 A charming and folky sampler, Elizabeth Stuard stitched her work in 1793, as she so notes.

Margaret Swayer, Ohio Shaker Sampler, North Union Community, 1844 Samplers made within the Shaker communities are extremely rare…

Mahala Tarr, Gloucester, Massachusetts, 1831 Two fashionably dressed ladies provide the focal point for this remarkable 1831 sampler made by Mahala Tarr of Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Isabella Taylor, Birmingham, England, 1783 a fine sampler made by Isabella Taylor of Birmingham, England who used Roman Numerals to indicate the year the sampler was made

Elma M. Tripp, Washington, Dutchess County, New York, 1830 This sampler shows strong influence from the Quaker teaching in this area…

Maria Van Wyk, Dutch Darning Sampler, Holland, 1762 Not only is this an outstanding visual and technical achievement but it is unusual in that it is accompanied by interesting family information.

Elizabeth Walkden, England, 1826 ...offers a pleasing arrangement of symmetrical motifs accomplished with precision and control.

Dolly Warriner Silk Embroidery, Mary Balch School, Providence, Rhode Island, circa 1810 An outstanding group of silk embroidered memorials was made at Mary Balch's renowned school in Providence, Rhode Island.

Kitty Waterman, England, 1804 One of the skills that young needleworkers were taught was whitework darning, which would hold obviously practical, life-long applications.

Sarah Watson, England, 1731 A finely worked band sampler that features the Lord's Prayer, this is inscribed; "Sarah Watson finished this sampler in the thirteenth year of her age in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and thirty one."

Ann Davey Wells, England, 1785 Ann Davey Wells worked on gauze-like linen and her fine silk stitches formed many bands of alphabets and numerical progressions…

Muller Orphanage Sampler by Bessie White, Bristol, England, 1879 These samplers come onto the market very rarely and we are pleased to be able to offer this excellent example made by Bessie White in 1879.

Mary White, Rampton, Nottinghamshire, England, 1800 Various motifs fill the tan linen ground on this charming pictorial sampler worked by Mary White at the age of 12…

Mary Wing, Braceby, Lincolnshire, England, 1845 ...features a fine three-chimney house on a hill, a pair of stately pine trees and a geometric star.

Woolwork Picture in Original Shadowbox, American, circa 1850 ...so we were pleased to find this excellent example, a fine arrangement of a lattice-work basket filled with beautiful flowers.

Embroidered Workbag, Turkish Ottoman, circa 1820 Used throughout the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, work bags, or reticules, were carried by young women to hold their sewing tools and small needlework projects.

Ann Wright, England, 1840 …features a detailed rendition of St. Paul's Cathedral in London…

Next update: July 15th

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Other Ways to View Our Samplers

Our inventory is extensive, and many items are not offered here. You can see these samplers in the following way:

• in SAMPLINGS,
  our print catalogue,
• at our shop, and
• at the antiques shows in which we exhibit.

Special Requests

Through our sources, we can often locate the sampler that you are looking for. Perhaps you are seeking a sampler with a particular family name, or a sampler from a certain town or geographic location. Let us know and we will inform you when we find it. Please call us to discuss your wants or collecting objectives; you will find us knowledgeable and helpful.

SAMPLINGS - The Print Catalogue

SAMPLINGS is our full color catalogue that is mailed twice a year, and each issue offers approximately 40 antique samplers and needlework items, pictured, fully described and priced. The annual subscription is $45 for two issues. Find out how to subscribe now!