Page 7 - Demo

Lydia Wells, \Boston, circa 1815 Silk embroidered pictures were created by young ladies whose education and skills in the needle arts had advanced beyond the making of samplers. The subject matter of these embroidered and watercolor pictures included memorials, religious scenes, illustrations of popular novels and depictions of Greek myths. This very appealing silk embroidery depicts a scene from the story of Cupid, the son of Venus, and Psyche, a beautiful young mortal woman. Psyche is repeatedly visited by Cupid, who has fallen in love with her and this needleworker has depicted a scene in which Cupid visits Psyche. In order for their relationship to continue, Psyche is ordered by Cupid never to look at him. Eventually Psyche disobeys this command, looks at him and their love is lost. This important and outstanding silk embroidery is accompanied by an excellent family history and was published in American Needlework by Georgiana Brown Harbeson (1938) as figure 2, opposite page 87. It was owned by a descendant of Miss Wells at that time and the family provided excellent documentation of the maker and the subsequent generations that owned the embroidery. Lydia Wells was born in 1 00 to a coppersmith, Benjamin Tuttle Wells, and his wife, Lydia Appleton Wells, whose 1799 marriage in Boston was recorded in church records. Our Lydia married Andrew Townsend Hall in 1823. According to the published Hall family genealogy (1883), Mr. Townsend was a foreign banker, and a very ' ealthy and distinguished citizen. They became the parents of a son and daughter, and the silk embroi,dery descended to their daughter Marian. The file that accompanies the sampler includes much research and a copy of the 1822 will of Lydia's father. \\ orked in silk, ink and watercolor on silk, it is in excellent condition in its fine original oval carved gold leaf frame. ize of the needlework: 9 ' X llW' Price: $32,000. AMERICA's LEADING sA!'vlPLER AND NEEDLEwoRK DEALER M. Finkel ~ Daughter. 3