Endslow says, Putting examples from the two collections together really adds something, because you do get to see how the Westtown samplers influenced sampler elsewhere in the county.
This highly collectible needlework was made not by adult seamstresses, but by teen or even preteen girls, who executed samplers as part of their education. The youth of the stitchers is astonishing, especially when viewed in the light of modern values. These can soar into the five- or six-figure range at auction.
As part of the goal of the exhibitionchester adult school Outstanding needlework by girls of Chester County, the makers mily history is well-documented. She was the daughter of Benjamin Vastine, who operated a store and tavern at the Sign of the Golden Eagle on Lancaschester adult schoolter Pike.
"Birds in Tree," a colorful piece com- pleted in 1809 by Martha Vastine of… (Courtesy of Chester County Historical Society)
Well-known needlework specialist Amy Finkel, [adult school] Job Front: Hiring outlook positive for early 2012 in Sacramento region? sacramento (1) 2011-12-27 14:33:18 of the website samplings.com and the antiques shop M. Finkel & Daughter, emphasizes the importance of Chester Countys contribution to the world of antique samplers. The samplers made in Chester County in the late 18th and early 19th centuries are highly regarded because the teachers there took the art of sampler- to new levels, she says. Large, bold pictorial samplers with outstanding house and garden scenes animated with people and animals routinely appear on these samplers.
The examples chosen for the exhibition not only display clever composition and technical excellence, they also offer insight into the lives of the young women who made them.
It may be that competition for students led instructresses to develop more and more interesting compositions that would be taught to their students. And the vocabulary of stitches and techniques that they taught are of equally high quality.
Curator Ellen Endslow of the Chester County Historical Society worked in concert with Mary Brooks of the Westtown School to assemble the exhibition of 150 outstanding examples made between 1760 and 1840.
chester adult school Outstanding needlework by girls of Chester County,In Stitches: Unraveling Their Stories, on view at the Chester County Historical Society through Sept. 7, brings together top-echelon needlework from the societys collection and the formidable textile archives of the Westtown School.
Endslow is particularly fond of the highly decorative, pictorial needlework on display. One of the most colorful is a composition of two birds in a tree, stitched and hand-painted by Martha Vastine of Coatesville when she was about 11 years old.
