Martha Aslett
Miniature Sampler, England, 1851
Featuring a religious hymn accomplished in the tiniest of lettering, this very fine sampler was made by Martha Aslett, who finished it on January 20, 1851. We located a published source for the text in One Hundred and Fifty Hymns for Public and Family Worship (The Religious Tract and Book Society, Cork, 1847).
The needleworker may have been the Martha Aslett who was born circa 1827 in London, the daughter of a tailor, Joseph Aslett. Her father’s aptitude with a needle and thread may explain hers as well. She would have been about 24 years old when she made this, and still single. Later the same year, on December 10, 1851, she married William Hawkins.
Worked in silk on linen, the sampler is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a modern frame.