PEDRICKTOWN, NEW JERSEY ERWIN FAMILY NEEDLEWORK SAMPLERS, LOT OF TWO, silk on linen, comprising a family record pictorial example, the center listing the Erwin family names and birth dates "Samuel Erwin was Born April 11th 1799 / Kitturah Erwin was Born April 8 1801 / Anna Margaret Erwin was Born / May 3 1822. Mary Jane Erwin / was Born January 6 1824. This work / Done in the 11 Year of her age 1834", next to a four-row verse, surrounded by various pictorial motifs including flower baskets, birds, and a figure with dog, three sides with scrolling flowering-vine border; and another example by the same maker in the same year, featuring eight alphabet and numeral rows segmented by decorative stitching, signed "Mary jane Erwins work done in the / 11th year of her age 1834", an additional section of linen at the bottom with three and one-fourth alphabet and numeral rows Each housed under UV glass and conservation mounted. Lot includes genealogical research completed by M. Finkel & Daughter. Dated 1834. Family record 19 3/4" x 21 1/2" sight, 23 5/8" x 25 1/2" OA; other 13 1/8" x 15 5/8" sight, 15 1/2" x 18" OA.
Family record sampler in excellent visual condition with less than expected light fading and fugitive color to thread, some scattered professional repairs to linen notably around center flower basket in lower half; other sampler in very good overall condition with light fading and fugitive color to some thread, a hole in lower left corner of larger linen piece, a few stains; frames with minor wear. Not examined out of frames.
Published: Family record sampler in M. Finkel & Daughter - Samplings: XV, p. 4.
Provenance: From the collection of Nick Routson, Phoenix, AZ.M. Finkel & Daughter, 6/17/2013 (one retains dealer label).
Catalogue Note: Mary Jane Erwin was born in 1824 to parents Samuel Erwin, Jr. (1799-1827), a Quaker, and Kitturah Springer (1801-1853), a descendant of early Swedish and German settlers to the area. Her parents married on December 27,1821, and the family resided in Pedricktown, Salem Co., NJ. Two years after the birth of Mary Jane, her father died and, according to his obituary, "left a wife and two children to lament the loss of a most affectionate husband and father, and a large circle of acquaintances, that of a kind neighbor and friend". After Samuel's death, Kitturah remarried to Isaac B. Lawrence (1799-1860) on April 13th, 1836.On February 17, 1846, Mary Jane married John W. Kay of nearby Gloucester Co., NJ, who was a flour dealer. Their family ultimately moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where Kitturah (spelt "Kitura") Lawrence, John W. Kay, and Mary J. Kay are listed in dwelling no. 362 as family no. 384 in the 1850 U.S. Federal Census for 5th Ward Southwark in the County of Philadelphia. As described by M. Finkel & Daughter, the family record "sampler is a large and colorful demonstration of the young maker's talents. Presented are many classic early Quaker patterns, reflecting the influence prevalent in this area where many Friends schools existed, as well as the culture in Mary Jane's family. The open blossom border is a standout, creating an excellent framework for the many motifs."

Family record sampler in excellent visual condition with less than expected light fading and fugitive color to thread, some scattered professional repairs to linen notably around center flower basket in lower half; other sampler in very good overall condition with light fading and fugitive color to some thread, a hole in lower left corner of larger linen piece, a few stains; frames with minor wear. Not examined out of frames.