Ruth Wright
Epitaph
1811
Physical Qualities
Cotton ground, silk embroidery threads, 20 1/4 x 20 1/4 in. (51.4 x 51.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Francis White, from the Collection of Mrs. Miles White, Jr.
Object Number
1973.76.337
Several motifs in this sampler, including the "Emblem of Love" and lily-of-the-valley, imply that its maker was a Quaker or received instruction from a Quaker teacher. The embroidered "Epitaph" is quoted from Thomas Gray's (1716-1771) poem "An Elegy Written in a Country Church Yard". With its traditional designs, this sampler may have been more acceptable to Quaker tastes than the showy silk mourning pieces embroidered by non-Quaker girls.
Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, 1973; Nancy Brewster (Mrs. Frances White) by inheritance; Virginia Purviance Bonsal (Mrs. Miles White, Jr.).
BMA, 'The White Collection,' March 19 - June 2, 1974.
Susan Cumins, BMA, 'Period Needlework in America, 1739-1865,' 1978; cat. 15; traveling exhibition circulated to Annapolis, Elkton, Salisbury, Columbia, Leonardtown, Stevenson, and Chestertown, Md.
William Voss Elder III, BMA, 'American Folk Art From The Baltimore Museum of Art and Local Collections,' April 4 - June 18, 1978, cat. 122, p. 18.
Anita Jones, BMA, 'The Accomplished Stitch: American Samplers and Silk Embroideries from the Collection, 5/11-7/20/1997.
Anita Jones, Baltimore, The Baltimore Museum of Art, Jean and Allan Berman Textile Gallery, "Mournful Maidens: Love and Loss in American Embroidery," (September 9, 2009-February 21, 2010), no catalog.
Susan Cumins, BMA, 'Period Needlework in America, 1739-1865,' 1978; cat. 15; traveling exhibition circulated to Annapolis, Elkton, Salisbury, Columbia, Leonardtown, Stevenson, and Chestertown, Md.
William Voss Elder III, BMA, 'American Folk Art From The Baltimore Museum of Art and Local Collections,' April 4 - June 18, 1978, cat. 122, p. 18.
Anita Jones, BMA, 'The Accomplished Stitch: American Samplers and Silk Embroideries from the Collection, 5/11-7/20/1997.
Anita Jones, Baltimore, The Baltimore Museum of Art, Jean and Allan Berman Textile Gallery, "Mournful Maidens: Love and Loss in American Embroidery," (September 9, 2009-February 21, 2010), no catalog.
Inscribed: Embroidered in black threads: 'Epitaph' followed by a twelve-line poem (See Description); Embroidered at the center right: 'Jonathan &/ Hannah Wright'; Embroidered at the center bottom: 'Ruth Wright/ 1812/ RT'; Embroidered at the center bottom near edge: 'An/ Emblem of love.'
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