Embroidered sampler
An early 19th-century sampler by Jane Rogers with birds, flowers and trees inside a rich floral border: embroidery whose many colors make it a good puzzle. Full commentary ↓
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Embroidered sampler is a textile by Jane Rogers (1800–1830) in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It measures 55.9 × 52.1 cm.
In the pictureA double border of red flowering vines frames the picture, and inside are embroidered a few lines of verse, a flower basket, two birds, trees and a small house. At the bottom center a bird perches between two large trees, and the thread colors mix red, green, brown and yellow evenly. At 56 cm high, it is large for a sampler.
BackgroundIn early 19th-century England, the format of a double border with the interior filled by pictures became established for samplers like this. Apart from the name Jane Rogers, neither her age nor an exact year survives, but the style of the design places it between 1800 and 1830. It was stitched in silk thread on wool cloth, so the colors have held up well.
Puzzle tipWith many colors and scattered elements, every piece carries a clue. Lay out the double border pieces first, then place the trees, birds and flower basket in the middle before adding the lettering pieces. There are few blank cloth pieces, so it can be enjoyed at up to 300 pieces.
- Classification
- Textiles
- Medium
- Embroidered silk on wool
- Dimensions
- 55.9 x 52.1 cm
- Credit line
- Gift of Barbara Schiff Sinauer, 1984
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
In these collections: Flower Painting Puzzles
Stories about this work
- From 1735 to 1823: Five Signed Embroidered Samplers and One Building
From 13-year-old Mary Pearce to 6-year-old Harriott Cates, five English embroidered samplers spanning 90 years, plus one exception that stitched a building instead of a name.
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