Images(2)

Sampler, Marked "CIG"

Date1788 (dated)

OriginEurope, Germany or Netherlands or Great Britain

MediumSilk and linen needlework threads on tabby linen ground

Dimensions5 1/8" x 11 3/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1997-3

DescriptionThis is a rectangular piece of white tabby weave linen, cut with five slits, the bottom edge of each decorated and reinforced with whitework needlework and fillings of needlepoint lace or "hollie point." All edges are hemmed with 1/16" hems. Centered beneath middle insertion are red cross stitches with initials "G" above "C" and "I" (probably for CIG), a crown, birds, and the date 1788.
Label TextYoung girls learned to sew and embroider by making samplers. The slits cut into this practice sampler were finished and reinforced with needle lace techniques such as those found at the bottom edges of garment plackets.

Stitched in Time:
The maker of this practice sampler cut a series of tabs, narrowly hemmed all sides, then reinforced the base of the slits with decorative needle lace stitching. These techniques relate to basic 18th-century garment construction. The slits resemble the front placket's of men's shirts and women's shifts. These techniques reinforced the garments to withstand frequent wear and laundering.

MarkingsMarked "CIG 1788."
ProvenancePrior to 1987, Cora Ginsburg (Tarrytown, NY); 1987, given to Joan Stephens (Potomac, MD); 1997, auctioned by Sotheby's, "The Joan Stephens Collection: Important Samplers and Pictorial Needlework" (New York, NY); 1997, Stephen and Carol Huber (Old Saybrook, CT); 1997, purchased by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)