[Folk Art Sampler]

1790. Framed. Good. Mary Watkinson, a student at Mrs. Clarke's School, created this small-ish sampler in 1790. In addition to the typical alphabet, here all caps, and numbers, here 1 to 16, the sampler has a few short homilies, such as j"Be thankfull for a friendly reproof" and "Spend your time well". The sampler, we think, is quite accomplished for a seven year old. It measure, in sight, 25.5 by 23 cm, and with the frame, 30 by 28 cm. We assume the sampler is American, but we can't be 100 percent certain of this, and we haven't been able to identify the Mrs. Clarke's School. The fabric has a few holes, with some minor loss of the lettering, and a film of soiling, yet it remains decoratively appealing as is.