The Sampler Sleuth: The 1815 “On Youth” Sampler

A Handprint of Sampler Art in the Era of Trepidation & Hope

Every sampler tells a story, whether the sampler maker stitches her initials or her full name on coarse or fine linen. However, sometimes there is no identification at all. Without the stitcher’s name, we are left slightly hollow, not having the opportunity to connect a particular person with a particular piece of sampler art. Such is the fate of the 1815 “On Youth” sampler that hails from Somerset, England.

Though it lacks the maker’s name, we can glean important messages this sampler wishes to reveal if we study, look and “listen” to what the maker is telling us through words, motifs, colors and through the materials she used to make her sampler.

Research into the historical setting when a sampler was made can be revealing as well. In the case of this sampler, the maker tells us the year it was made: 1815.

The ruling monarch of England in 1815 was King

George III, whose reign (1738–1820) was marked by a series of military conflicts, including the Seven Years’ War (known in America as the French and Indian War), the American Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Napoleonic Wars.

The year 1815 was notable for England because the Duke of Wellington won a decisive victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in June of that year. As there had been many wars, the hearts of the people of England were mixed with trepidation over what might come next and hope that the war might at last be at an end.

Even so, the verse the sampler maker chose reflects a somewhat pessimistic view. The verse was written by the poet and playwright John Dryden (1631–1700) and highlights not the joys of youth, but rather the fleeting nature of beauty, the fragility of life and the speedy passage of time. One wonders if the maker was a young, middle-aged or older woman. Perhaps she lost her boyfriend, husband or son to war. With a little imagination, a story could be told.

After Napoleon was defeated, the Industrial Revolution, which had begun in the mid-18th century, took off at a furious pace. An important textile invention from 1733, the flying shuttle, developed by John Kays, was an important step forward in the automatic weaving of textiles. This innovation removed the need to have a person place the weft thread into the warp by hand, thus enabling cloth makers to weave faster and make cloth a greater width. It’s likely that our sampler maker would have been witness to great leaps in the production of fabrics, threads and sewing notions during her lifetime.

We as sampler detectives can also gather clues from the materials, motifs and color palette of stitched piece itself to help us form a vision of the maker. The original “On Youth” sampler was executed in wool and silk threads in an extensive range of colors.

The upper portion of the sampler is accented by an angelic face stitched in tent stitch and is flanked by pairs of cherubs. This angelic face takes center stage not only in the upper portion of the sampler, but is also seen as a “guardian” over the lower pictorial portion as well. Angel motifs have appeared in many samplers throughout the history of needlework and are indicative of messengers or attendants of God. The paired cherubs adjacent to the central angelic face are symbolic of faith. Perhaps the stitcher was trying to convey divine hope for peace and goodwill, and to commemorate the lost and fallen soldiers of battle.

Single and paired bird motifs are present. The paired swallows to the right of “ON YOUTH” are symbolic of eternal hope. The crown motifs identify royalty, sovereignty and fidelity. The central urn and carnations represent good fortune and prosperity. Dog motifs are historically indicative of loyalty, protection and knowledge. The various hearts stitched throughout the sampler represent love, sorrow, compassion and joy. Pine trees are symbolic of fidelity and nature.

The lower pictorial portrays the value of family. The man to the left holds a staff, indicative of the head of the family, a figure of authority. It’s extremely poignant that the male family members are standing on stable ground holding hands with their female counterparts in solidarity. The female family members are dressed in bright colors of innocence, light and constancy. They both rise, on steps perhaps, toward a new chapter in their lives, looking toward the future after England’s many years of war and economic hardship.

The letters of the verse are poignantly stitched in somber gray representing penance, humility, tribulation and melancholy. Blue is used widely in the border and motifs of this sampler, representing peace, angelic heaven and the

sky. Yellow is symbolic of faith, wisdom, constancy and glory. The color green symbolizes faith, immortality, youth, renewal and gladness. The violet and purple hues depict the virtues of temperance and penitence, while the color white highlights purity, innocence and initiation.

Those of us who study samplers from past times know that history can be learned apart from a book or a map. Knowledge can be gained through the study of works of art made by skilled fingers swiftly moving thread through linen, like a scribe copying words on paper with a silent pen. Needle and thread have taught numbers, letters, verse and hymns throughout the centuries by deft fingers who educated many with silent skill and passion for their art and its possibilities.

The samplers our foremothers stitched continue to teach us in modern times. Each sampler is a handprint, a testimonial to the state of the maker’s character. As all handprints are unique, so too are stitched samplers. The maker’s adeptness in needlework and the lessons she wanted to pass on are specific to her, and the passion, skill and creativity on display are aspects that speak to us today as clearly as they did over 200 years ago. As such, the 1815 “On Youth” sampler is a priceless gift from the past.

Historical samplers inspire new generations to create a light into our own time as we, too, make our handprints in history and join our foremothers in making stitches that will be treasured in the future.