American Needlework Sampler by Eliza Jordan, Aged 12, Late 18th Century

Young Eliza employed a good number of varying techniques and accomplished them well. The quality of the needlework is superb, achieving tightly stitched and finely detailed images, with excellent use of color. The execution of the flowers in the border vine are exceptional, as is the amazing Garden of Eden portrayal. The art is well laid out across the linen, not clustered and rigidly symmetric as one would see in many samplers (especially English for example). The colors are strong but not gaudy, and have survived very well without fading. The sampler remains in excellent condition.

It is fascinating to see the personal details portrayed in this sampler. The house is not a standard image of a simple house, but is a rendering of her home set atop a hill with pine trees, indicating a northern New England location. The inclusion of a moose amongst her menageries reinforces the Maine or New Hampshire origin.

You have to love the little girl’s imagination: her cast of animals includes a lion… an obvious companion of doves and rabbits! And when she learned of Pharaoh’s palace in her bible studies, she of course pictured a palace right out of King Arthur or the Arabian Knights.

This sampler came out of an old scholarly collection of exceptional, museum quality samplers on Nantucket Island.

Measures: Sampler: 16-7/8 in H x 12-1/2 in W
Framed: 19-5/8 in height x 15-1/4 in width x 1 in deep.