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Sampler
Rebekah Sharp 1790 Silk thread on linen ground Gift of General Mercer Chapter, National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution OBA 1933.002.0003 Left Virtue the greatest bounty of the mind, the noblest ornament of human kind Right Virtue our safeguard and our guiding star that stirs up reason when our senses err |
A mirror-image sampler with a vareity of motifs, including birds, animals, flowers, and two verses on virtue. The quote on virtue has been found on various other samplers created by young girls throughout the late 18th and early 19th century in both North America and Europe, though its original source is unknown.
The piece was originally lent to the Old Barracks via the General Washington Chapter of the DAR by Mrs. Eleanor Leigh Terradell Shepard (1882-1962), second wife of Elliott Fitch Shepard, Jr. (1876-1927), an American racing driver and grandson of William Henry Vanderbilt. No connection could be made through Mrs. Shepard's family, so it is possible this sampler was collector's piece, making it difficult to identify the exact Rebekah Sharp reponsible for its creation. |
