Embroidered sampler
1807
Medium
Silk on linen
Dimensions
18 x 15 3/4 in. (45.7 x 40 cm) Framed: 22 in. × 19 1/4 in. × 1 1/4 in. (55.9 × 48.9 × 3.2 cm)
Classification
Sampler
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, William Cullen Bryant Fellows Gifts, 2010
Accession Number
2010.466
Tags
Art Historical Context
This embroidered sampler, created by Julia Ann Fitch in 1807, offers a charming glimpse into early American domestic life and education. Worked in silk thread on a linen ground, the piece measures 18 by 15¾ inches and exemplifies the fine needlework traditions of the period. Samplers like this one served as both practice pieces and personal records, allowing young women to demonstrate mastery of stitches while often incorporating alphabets, numerals, and decorative motifs. In the early nineteenth century, needlework formed an essential part of girls’ education in America, preparing them for h...