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22Rachel Passmore, Westtown School Darning Sampler,Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1819Provenance: Collection of Betty RingDarning samplers made at the Westtown School, the highlyregarded Quaker boarding school established in 1799 in Chester County, Pennsylvania, are among the most interesting schoolroom products made there. The great majority are white-on-white, with several variations of square darning patterns, the center one is often knitted. Rachel Passmore%u2019s sampler is a classic example with the added appeal that it was, for many years, in the collection of Betty Ring. Betty also owned a sampler made by Rachel%u2019s sister Beulah.The Passmore family in America began with William Passmore who emigrated in 1715, a Friend seeking religious freedom. The family remained in the Quaker church and, generations later, Richard and Deborah (Griscom) Passmore joined the Goshen Monthly Meeting in Chester County in 1781. The Griscom family was from New Jersey and there is a connection that we would be remiss not to note: Deborah Griscom%u2019s great grandfather, Tobias Griscom (1686-1719) was the grandfather of the renowned Betsy Ross (Elizabeth Griscom Ross). Richard and Deborah lived in nearby Edgemont, Delaware County and had nine children between 1787 and 1801; Rachel was their youngest child. She entered Westtown School in December of 1818 at age 17, as student #1644, and remained there until July of 1820. Interestingly, the collection of samplers and needlework owned by Westtown School includes a very rare group project darning sampler, made circa 1819, signed by seven female students, each of whom darned a squared and stitched her name next to it. One of these seven was our Rachel Passmore. Rachel remained single and lived with her sister Beulah in Philadelphia, where both were active and committed Friends, supportive of causes that were important to many Quakers. In December of 1833, Rachel became one of the founding members of the Philadelphia Female Anti Slavery Society. This group has long been noted for the fact that it was racially integrated, with free African Americans holding leadership positions along with white, mostly Quaker, women. In 1844, a volume entitled Some Reflections in Prose and Poetry, written by Rachel and Beulah, was published. Peripherally, their niece (daughter of a brother, Everett), Deborah Griscom Passmore (1840-1911), became a nationally known botanical artist and illustrator. Rachel died in 1840 and is buried at the Sassafras Meeting in Philadelphia along with her sister Beulah. The sampler was worked in wool and silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a 19th century veneer frame. Sampler size: 10%u201d x 11%u00bd%u201d Frame size: 12%u201d x 13%u00bd%u201d Price: $7600.