Antique Needlework Sampler – Signed “MS,” October 1792

Antique Needlework Sampler – Signed “MS,” October 1792

Charming late 18th-century English needlework sampler, worked in colored silks on linen and signed “MS October 1792.” The composition follows a traditional format with decorative alphabet and numeral bands at the top, beneath which appear crowns, floral motifs, and a central figure of a young girl flanked by birds and stylized flowers. A moral verse, carefully stitched in black thread, reads:

Let virtue all your Motives guide.
For that and Peace are join’d,
The only musick you should prize
Is musick of the mind.
So mind your tutor’s mild advice,
When she directs your hand;
And you from class to class shall rise,
As more you understand.

At the base, further floral arrangements, small trees, and animal figures provide a balanced decorative border. The work is framed in a period wooden frame with a simple gilt slip.

This sampler is a fine example of late Georgian schoolgirl embroidery, combining moral instruction with decorative artistry. The date of 1792 situates it firmly in the era when samplers served both as moral lessons and as practical demonstrations of a young girl’s skill with the needle.

Condition: Good for age, with light toning and some fading consistent with nearly 230 years of age. Housed in an old wooden frame.