1890s miniature schoolgirl alphabet sampler

Miniature samplers are few and far between, and this is a charming example of late 19th century childhood embroidery. It’s 5-1/2″ wide by 5-7/8″ high, worked on a double-mesh canvas with the soft puffy wool common to that time period. Most interestingly, different shades of colors were used within the same letter to create an overdyed effect (I had to examine it under magnification to discover this).

In good condition with some stitch loss and a few areas of light discoloration to the ground fabric, almost like the canvas was bleached in spots. Overall, it’s a little darker and greyer than the photo with light soil all over.