Sampler
Artist
E. G. Boit
American, life dates unknown
Date1760
Mediumembroidery on fabric
Dimensions55.6 x 40.3 cm (21 7/8 x 15 7/8 in.)
ClassificationsTextiles
Credit LineGift of Mrs. J. Templeman Coolidge
Object number1963.25
DescriptionAlphabet and landscape with two figures.Label TextFrom the 18th through mid-19th century, making embroidered samplers was a standard part of education for girls of the middle and upper classes. Samplers allowed young women to practice their letters and needlework skills as demonstrations of literacy and industriousness—and, by extension, virtuous character. In this work, E.G. Boit stitched several rows of the alphabet, followed by a moralizing verse from Isaac Watt's 1698 poem, "False Greatness:""Were I so tall to reach the Pole,
Or grasp the Ocean with my Span,
I must be measur'd by my Soul,
The Mind's the Standard of the Man."
Boit also stitched a picture of a couple in a lush garden setting, likely based on an image provided by her teacher.ProvenanceGift of Mrs. J. Templeman Coolidge
On View
On viewCurrent Location
- Exhibition Location Gallery 3003
