Images(4)

Workbag

DateJuly 26, 1807

Artist/Maker Sarah Black (1785 - 1867)

OriginAmerica, New Hampshire, Chesterfield

MediumCotton embroidered with silk

DimensionsOW 12 3/8" x OH 16 1/2"

Credit LineAnonymous gift

Object number1971-1574,1

DescriptionThis is a rectangular, white, cotton bag embroidered with pale polychrome silks. Each side of the bag displays two pairs of elliptically entwining flowering vines. The maker has signed the bag in cross stitch: "Sarah Black Chesterfield" on one side and "July 26, 1807" on the other. The bag is constructed from a single piece of fabric which is folded along the bottom and sewn along the sides. The open edge is folded over to allow for a drawstring. The bag is unlined.
Stitches: blanket, cross, flat (New England laid), outline
Label TextThis bag was made by a woman named Sarah Black at the age of twenty-two. Women used workbags to carry their knitting, sewing, and knotting supplies in the home or when they went out visiting.
ProvenanceA paper label attached to the bag reads: "This bag is for James B. Carter, his Great Great Grand-mother's. given him by Mary Aurelia Dutton Taft Granddaughter of Sarah [Black.]"

This bag passed from the maker, Sarah Black (1785-1867), to her granddaughter, Mary Aurelia Dutton Taft (1851-1934). Mary Aurelia was the daughter of Horace Taft (1827-1892) and Mary Pierce (1828-1916). Horace was the son of Sarah Black and Zadock Taft (1786-1867). Mary Aurelia then gave the bag to her first cousin, twice removed, James Brigham Carter (1903-1928). James Brigham was the son of Selwyn Ingalls Carter (1879-1919) and Belle Ella Brigham (1874-1956). Belle Ella Brigham was the daughter of Willard Proctor Brigham (1835-1910) and Mary Jane Taft (1842-1895). Mary Jane was the daughter of Lucius Taft (1809-1889) and Cynthia Clay (1811-1880). Lucius Taft was the son of Sarah Black and Zadock Taft. In summary, James Brigham Carter was the 3x great grandson of the maker, Sarah Black. He received the bag from Mary Aurelia Dutton Taft who was Sarah Black’s granddaughter. The next recorded owners of the bag were Roy Everett and Eleanor R. Tomlinson.

History of Maker:

Sarah Black (1785-1867) was born on June 1, 1785 to William Black (1761-1842) and Catherine Boyden (1766-1857). Sarah married Zadock Taft (1786-1867) and together they had four children: Lucius (1809-1889), Eloisa (1817-1897), Horace (1827-1892), and a child who died young. Sarah died on April 12, 1867 and is buried in Winchester, New Hampshire.