Abigail T. Reeves, Gloucester, NJ, 1834
Abigail Thompson Reeves of Gloucester, NJ worked this delicate and beautifully wrought sampler in the year 1834 when she was 13 years old. Our research tells us that she was the daughter of Joseph Reeves and Mary Gill, who were married on January 11, 1821. She was named after her fraternal grandmother, Abigail Thompson.
Abigail was the oldest of the three children born to Joseph and Mary, and the initials of her brothers Joseph and Thomas are included with those of her own on her sampler. There is a simple, understated sophistication about this sampler from the sawtooth border to the admonition stated in her verse, which reads as follows:
Of Happiness
Mortals repine not at the will of Heaven
With equal hand to all some bliss is given
For kings are poor if they their state lament
And slaves are happier if they're more content
Flawlessly rendered needlework characterizes this charming sampler. There is elegance to the floral wreath that encircles her name and to the trees which flank this wreath. The colors are predominantly blues and greens with ivory and pale gold accents. The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted into a figured cherry frame with a tiger maple bead and protected with Tru Vue glass.
Sampler size is 9 1/2" x 14 3/4".
R06A090032 0057
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