Elizabeth Matthews 1855

In 1855 the name “Elizabeth Matthews” was about as popular as the proverbial “John Smith” is today. Narrowing the years between 1842 and 1844 makes it even more difficult to identify this sampler’s actual maker.

There is a whimsical appeal to Elizabeth’s motifs and bright color choices. The way in which she chose to stitch the phrase reveals she stitched the sampler’s border first, then started on the left side with the wording. It was after she had begun her stitching that she ran out of space and ended up squeezing the words more closely together on the right.