Description:Sampler worked in cross-stitch on a rectangular piece of fine cream woollen fabric. Illustrated with flowers, insects and animals and two figures standing either side of a building. Worked in woollen threads - orange, red, pink, green, grey and brown. Woked by Mary Jones Aged 11, 183?.
Verse reads: 'Let me improve the house I have
Before the day of grace is fled.
Theres no repentance in the grave,
Nor pardon offered to the dead.'
From the Staffordshire County Collection. 380mm x 300mm.
Towards the end of the 18th century, samplers taught not only sewing but also literacy in the forms of alphabets, numerals and religious texts. These grew in importance and became an almost essential part of sampler making throughout the 19th century.