Object number2024.24.19
Sampler
Date1831
Artist
Mary Ann Dish
(English)
CultureEnglish
MediumSilk threads on linen ground
DimensionsSight (tall rectangle): 14 x 11 7/8 in. (35.6 x 30.2 cm)
Framed (vintage): 18 x 16 x 7/8 in. (45.7 x 40.6 x 2.2 cm)
Framed (vintage): 18 x 16 x 7/8 in. (45.7 x 40.6 x 2.2 cm)
Credit LineGift from the collection of Linda Ford Wallace
On View
Not on viewPeriod19th c
Classification(s)
SignedBottom center: Mary Ann Ditch
InscribedJESUS permit thy gracious name to / stand , As the first efforts of an infant hand / And while her fingers o'er this canvas move, / engage her tender heart to seek thy love /FEAR GOD and keep HIS LAWS. / KW JD/ Guard and direct my wand'ring steps. / from sin and folly free / And fix my heart, Almighty GOD, / On Duty and on THEE / ANNO / 1831 / Mary Ann Ditch. / August, / 2nd
ProvenanceLinda Ford Wallace CollectionDescriptionMary Ann Ditch has stitched a formal, almost symmetrical, sampler composition, featuring a large 3 story, 3 bay, central door house with two bay roof hip roof extensions on either end, in a setting of flowers, trees, and birds, and surmounted by a popular sampler verse. Large letters below the house command the viewer to "FEAR GOD and Keep HIS LAWS." A decorative band divides the upper half of the sampler from the enframed prayer stitched below and the inscription enclosed in a leafy octagon . Birds on branches, a lattice fence, and flowers embellish either side of the prayer and inscription . J D and S D flanking the prayer probably refer to Mary Ann's parents. K W on either side of a crown references King William IV who ascended to the British throne the year before Mary Ann completed her sampler. Thread colors are blue, white, green, rust, tan and red.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge.
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