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Sampler 2016-161
Sampler, Shaker, by Margaret Swayer
Sampler 2016-161

Sampler, Shaker, by Margaret Swayer

Date1844
Maker Margaret Swayer (1817 - 1905)
OriginAmerica, Ohio, North Union Shaker Village
MediumSilk embroidery threads on a linen ground of 46 x 56 threads per inch (fiber identification by eye)
DimensionsFramed: OW: 15” x OH: 12 ¾”; Unframed by sight: OW: 12 ½” x OH: 10 ½”
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number2016-161
DescriptionThis is a small rectangular alphabet and numeral sampler worked in shades of brown, black, rust, blue, and tan silk threads on a natural color linen ground. From the top the sampler consists of:
“A-M” upper case script followed by a decorative motif all worked in cross over two;
“N-Z” upper case script followed by an “X” all worked in cross over two;
Decorative band in cross over two;
“A-T” upper case block in cross over two;
“U-Z” upper case block, ampersand, X, and numerals “1-10” followed by a decorative motif all in cross over two;
Band of cross over two;
Decorative motif followed by “Margaret Swayer Come Here May 13th 1831” worked in cross over two;
Band of cross over two;
“A-S uppercase block in foursided stitch;
“T-Z” uppercase block, ampersand, numerals “1-10” all in foursided stitch followed by a decorative diamond motif in cross stitch;
Band of cross stitch;
“a-z” lower case block in cross stitch; zig-zag band in cross stitch; “A-M” uppercase block in double cross;
“N-Z” uppercase block in double cross followed by X in cross stitch;
Band of cross stitch;
Signature line: “Margaret Swayer was born/ April 29th 1817 Her Sampler” followed by a decorative diamond motif and “M/23 [?] 1844” in cross stitch.
The sampler is enclosed on four sides in a simple border of cross stitch.
Stitches: cross over one, two, and three threads, foursided
Label TextThis rare 1844 alphabet sampler was created by Margaret Swayer after she joined the North Union Shaker Village in Ohio as a young woman of fifteen years of age. It is one of only two samplers identified from this community. Typical of Shaker samplers is the plain, unadorned format and craftsmanship of the sampler, reflecting the simplicity and practical nature of Shaker life. Unlike most samplers, which were schoolgirl exercises and often a show of status and parental pride, many Shaker samplers were created by adult women who used them to learn stitching skills needed to mark with numbers and initials the Shaker linens and clothing that would be communally washed. Margaret Swayer's sampler is one of only a few objects in the Colonial Williamsburg Collection that can speak to the Shaker simplicity of design that had a lasting influence on American decorative arts.
Inscribed“Margaret Swayer Come Here May 13th 1831”
ProvenanceM. Finkel & Daughter, Philadelphia, PA, to John R. Ribic and Carla M. Kingsley Collection to Northeast Auction (2008) to Amy Finkel for Neverbird Antiques (Bill and Joyce Subjack) to CWF, 2016.