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MASSACHUSETTS MEMORIAL SAMPLER.

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MASSACHUSETTS MEMORIAL SAMPLER.
Mary E. Briggs, South Boston, Suffolk County, 1829, silk on linen. A large weeping willow tree bends over a tombstone bearing the inscription "In memory of William J. Briggs drowned at South Boston on July 25 1828 Aged 11 ys". Opposite a girl rests on a rock underneath a heavily embroidered tree, a house perched on a hill in the background. The sampler is signed "Wrought by Mary E. Briggs South Boston Aug 1829" and includes the verse "S[hort]àwasàdear William was thy stay/Ah why so sad and sudden thy remove/ It was thy Saviour called thee hence away/Go then my child and rest with him above". The girl's head has been cut from engraved print. Good bright colors of blue and green. Minor imperfections. Conservation mounted and framed. 18 1/2"h. 18 1/2"w.

It is not clear which of the several Boston area Mary Briggs created this mourning sampler but she probably was the sister or close relative of eleven year-old William Joseph Briggs, listed as drown in the August 1, 1828, Printing of The Boston Recorder and Telegraph.

Historical research accompanies the lot. .

Condition: Some darkening of ground fabric. The black thread in the alphabet and beginning of verse has deteriorated in places. The paper face appears original but not from the late 1820s, the style dating closer to the 1840s. Includes scrap of wallpaper found on the original mounting of sampler.

Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do not include condition reports. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Interested bidders are strongly encouraged to request a condition report on any lots upon which they intend to bid, prior to placing a bid. All transactions are governed by our Conditions of Sale.

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