Elizabeth Gibbs,

A very good sampler with an appealing Quaker aesthetic, this was made by Elizabeth Gibbs in Burlington County, New Jersey when she was 12 years old. She was born February 22, 1797, to Joshua and Mary (Gaskill) Gibbs who were members of the Chesterfield Monthly Meeting. In 1814 she married Peter Sayre, also of New Jersey. They had one child, a daughter born in 1826. Elizabeth died in 1851. The file that accompanies the sampler includes copies of Quaker meeting records.

The sampler was very nicely made with alphabets carefully stitched in black silk. The lower register includes motifs that are shared by other fine samplers made in this area - a pine tree, a basket of fruit, and a beautiful flower on a branch. Additionally, there is a wonderful bird worked in a solidly stitched rectangle.

The sampler was worked in silk and linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a molded and black painted frame.