Sampler

Date1829

Artist Catharine Wilsey Van Cleve Boyd (American, born 1821)

CultureAmerican

MediumSilk threads on linen ground

DimensionsSight (mostly square): 14 1/2 x 14 in. (36.8 x 35.6 cm)
Framed: 16 x 15 1/2 x 3/4 in. (40.6 x 39.4 x 1.9 cm)

Credit LineTransfer from Vassar College Libraries, Special Collections, Martha Clawson Reed Collection

On View

Not on view

Period19th c

Classification(s)

SignedLL: Catharine Wilsey Van Cleve Boyd

InscribedInscribed: Tis education forms the common mind Just as the twigs bent the tree incline/Honor thy Father and thy Mother that thy days may be long upon the land that the Lord thy God giveth thee/Catharine Wilsey Van Cleve Boyd born May 30 1819 marked this at Mrs Heywoods School Hackensack 1829/Diligence industry and proper improvement of time are material duties of the young and the acquisition of knowledge is one of the most honorable occupations of youth/Remember the Creator in the days of thy youth

BibliographyHail Specimen of Female Art! (Princeton: Morven Museum and Garden, 2014), p. 67 ( Cat. no. 53) Exhibition HistoryPrinceton, New Jersey, The Morven Museum and Garden, “Hail Specimen of Female Art! New Jersey Schoolgirl Needlework, 1726-1860,” October 3, 2014 – March 29, 2015.
DescriptionCatherine Wilsey Van Cleve Boyd stitched three alphabets, and a number sequence 1 - 19 verse above two aphorisms and two Bible verses relating to education and the good conduct of youth. Each line element is separated by a different stitched dividing band utilizing cross stitch, eyelet, four-sided stitch, queen stitch, and straight stitch. An inscription line informs the viewer that the work was done at Mrs. Heyward's School in Hackensack. A simple sawtooth outer border and a wave pattern inner border complete the composition. Thread colors are green and black.

Terms

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email loebcollections@vassar.edu