Embroidered Sampler

Lucy Jane Phelps Atwater

1841–42 · Linen embroidery and stitching on cotton, · The American Wing

Lucy Jane Phelps was a resident of West Townsend, Vermont. According to family history, however, she spent a year at a convent school in Cincinnati, where she worked this sampler. She was probably in her teens at the time; instead of such basics as the alphabet and numbers, Lucy received training in fancy embroidery and darning, sewing techniques that were useful for ornamenting and mending clothing.

Artist

Lucy Jane Phelps Atwater

Date

1841–42

Medium

Linen embroidery and stitching on cotton,

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Alexander G. Cummins, 1939