Maker
Lydia B. Chenery(American, 1812–1891)American, 1812–1891
CultureAmerican
Titles
- Family Register Sampler
Date1825
Made inWatertown, Massachusetts, United States
MediumSilk on linen
DimensionsOverall (At Open): 21 9/16 × 16 7/16 in. (54.7 × 41.7 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by Bayou Bend Docents and the Bayou Bend Docent Organization Endowment in memory of Barbara Bailey
Object numberB.2024.4
Not on view
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Department
Bayou BendObject Type
This family register sampler, worked by Lydia B. Chenery, is part of a tradition of creating family records in coastal Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire during the late 1700s and early 1800s. These records were often made by school-aged girls or professionals, and could be embroidered, like this one, or painted with watercolor. Most of the embroidered samplers were made in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, likely in female academies or boarding schools, though no specific schools are known. The design usually includes a tree, symbolizing family relationships through its roots, branches, and fruits to represent marriages and births. In this sampler, conjoined hearts show the married couple, and a tree grows from them. The fruits are inscribed with the names of children, and encircling vines or swags are common features.
Provenance[Richard Dodge, Bedford, Massachusetts]; purchased by [Amy Finkel, Philadelphia], March 1993; purchased by Betty Brown Casey (1927–2022), Potomac, Maryland, 1993; Estate of Betty Brown Casey; purchased by [Amy Finkel, Philadelphia], 2023; purchased by MFAH, 2024.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Recto: Maker name and date embroidered at lower center in black thread: Wrought by / Lydia B Chenery 1825
Recto: Enclosed in two hearts at the roots are the embroidered names and birth dates of the parents: Ebenezer Chenery born Jan 23 1765 / Sally Hastings born June 13 1775. Their marriage date is embroidered below the hearts: Married Oct 23 1803. At left center and right center are eight fruits hanging from the branches. Each fruit contains the embroidered names and birth dates of their children: Isaac H born Sept 12 1804 / Ebenezer Jr born Jan 14 1806 / Sarah born May 22 1808 / David born August 16 1810 / Lydia B born August 16 1812 / John born June 29 1815 / Susannah born March 8 1818 / Mary born May 12 1820
Recto: Original glazing gilt at bottom center: FAMILY REGISTER.
Recto: Enclosed in two hearts at the roots are the embroidered names and birth dates of the parents: Ebenezer Chenery born Jan 23 1765 / Sally Hastings born June 13 1775. Their marriage date is embroidered below the hearts: Married Oct 23 1803. At left center and right center are eight fruits hanging from the branches. Each fruit contains the embroidered names and birth dates of their children: Isaac H born Sept 12 1804 / Ebenezer Jr born Jan 14 1806 / Sarah born May 22 1808 / David born August 16 1810 / Lydia B born August 16 1812 / John born June 29 1815 / Susannah born March 8 1818 / Mary born May 12 1820
Recto: Original glazing gilt at bottom center: FAMILY REGISTER.
Recto: Maker name embroidered in black thread, lower left: Lydia B Chenery
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Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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