Maria Mcloskey
Fabulous 1808 Pennsylvania Folkart appealing house sampler.
This early, visual impact Pennsylvania schoolgirl sampler features many interesting elements. The house is embellished with a climbing vine on one side, and a whirligig windmill affixed to the chimney on the other. A very naive depiction in silk thread of a windy breeze turning the whirligig. Above the house is a birdcage held by two yellow canaries and a soaring dove with a olive branch. A myriad of trees shade the house on all sides;beneath the largest is an unusual coiled snake in the grass and to the left a turtle is seen resting on a multi-level hilltop.
The inscription reveals our talented Pennsylvania schoolgirl who added additional folkart whimsy by flanking the date with hearts. ""Maria Mcloskey (McCloskey) her sampler made Sept the 20 in the year of our lord 1808".
In addition to these visual attributes there is a possible Westtown connection. John Forsythe was the first principal of the Westtown school, and his name is painted on the original backboard with the location of Germantown. We are still look but not sure of the historical connection with the Mcloskey family. The sampler is also in the original molded frame. Size 16 x 17 1/2" Price 2250.00
Jane Hare 1820
Eight year old complete,colorful,crisp and charming sampler done by Jane Hare. Her proud parents surely took pride in showing her work to visitors at Christmas just a few weeks after completion on December 4 1820. Young Jane's instructress provided her a neatly balanced arrangement of flowers in urns,stylized pine trees and a delicate bouquet of rosebuds, also lily and violets tied with a white ribbon bow. Jane's outer border of eight large naturalistic roses with long leaf stems, very unusual. Jane's sampler provides strong visual appeal from across a room. Size 15 1/2" x 19 1/2" Price 1695.00
Mary Stroyan age 8 1832
Mary's produced a very nice visual sampler with a verse of "HOSANNA let all the children sing" in a very easy to read format surrounded by a detailed floral boarder of many different flowers and vines. Mary was born to James and Martha Stroyan and Christened June 10 1824. Size 13" by 16 1/4" Price 850.00