Spotting this as I walked into an antiques show in central Mass last weekend set my heart racing and made me swoon. I love a darning sampler, and this is an early one, late 1700s or early 1800s would be my guess. Most of the early ones one sees are Dutch, with the complexly patterned darning samples most typically organized in an orderly, linear sort of composition; those are gorgeous, but to my eye this more freeform one is even more beautiful--feels much more like its maker was in the process of mastering quite a variety of darns rather than trying to make a showcase sampler, and as a result it feels, I think, more sophisticated to a contemporary eye, with a modern sense of rhythm and syncopation, and great feel for color, too.
This is quite fragile, with some damage and loss. As evident, it is composed of two panels that were sewn together, with the left panel thicker and sturdier than the right one. There is a separation/loss (one might call it a tear, but it's really more of a deterioration of the threads) running vertically just to the right of where the two panels are joined. (I have detailed in photos) along with a few scattered holes and loss to the upper right corner. The sampler was previously attached to a cardboard backing, which left residue along the edges, visible from the back. I found it with remnants of that cardboard, including a note that the sampler was done by "Grassie's" mother, Zerlina Shuer Blitz, I believe it reads.
Personally, I would carefully place this in a float frame, between two panes of glass, and call it a day. That would protect it, and allow one to enjoy it, including the reverse, which is a beautiful thing too. One does want to be quite careful handling it in the interim. I will ship it flat, protected in archival glassine.
24 1/4" x 13". See above notes and detail photos for condition.
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