This framed needlework sampler features cross-stitch and outline embroidery on a tan textile ground. The central imagery depicts a woman in a bonnet and long skirt holding an infant, facing a bearded man in a hat and trousers who is walking with a shovel. The figures are surrounded by stylized floral vines, birds, and geometric scrolls in blue, brown, and tan thread. Below the figures is the embroidered text, To love and be loved is the greatest joy on earth. The base of the composition includes two evergreen trees and a small building. The sampler is presented in a wooden frame with a blue and silver-tone embossed foliate pattern. A handwritten note on masking tape attached to the reverse reads 8 09 ME, Very old Sampler, from Sugarcreek, Ohio, Amish Country. The reverse also bears a printed label from the Reliance Picture Frame Co., Dover, N. J. with the text SIZE 12x16 and 72-21. Measurements: 19 x 18 in.