AMERICAN / BRITISH PICTORIAL NEEDLEWORK SAMPLER, silk on linen, signed in the top center "Mary Wills / Aged 11 Years / 1835" above a six-row verse, flanked by various motifs including flowers, eight-point stars, trees, hearts, and birds, lower half featuring a two-story house with a garden bench under trees to the left, flowers in urn to the right, and three animal figures along the bottom edge, all encompassed by a stylized scrolling flowering-vine border. Housed under glass and conservation mounted in a late 19th century frame. Dated 1835. 16 3/4" x 16 1/4" sight, 19 1/2" x 18 3/4" OA.
Very good overall condition with some scattered small losses to thread mostly to border and to door of house, slight bleeding of dark color thread in verse, less than expected light fading and fugitive color to thread, frame with some wear along edges. Not examined out of frame.
Published: M. Finkel & Daughter - Samplings: XI, p. 18, bottom sampler.
Provenance: From the collection of Nick Routson, Phoenix, AZ.M. Finkel & Daughter, 11/7/2005 (retains dealer label).
Catalogue Note: The identity of Mary Wills is unknown, though her birth year would be either 1823 or 1824. As noted by M. Finkel & Daughter, "[w]hile the country of origin of a sampler is generally clearly discernible, occasionally a piece will exhibit elements of both English and American design and execution. Eleven-year-old Mary Wills may have been working in our Mid-Atlantic states, or somewhere in the British Isles".

Very good overall condition with some scattered small losses to thread mostly to border and to door of house, slight bleeding of dark color thread in verse, less than expected light fading and fugitive color to thread, frame with some wear along edges. Not examined out of frame.