Embroidered Sampler 1798

This 1798 sampler, titled "Embroidered Sampler," is a beautiful example of needlework by Priscilla T. Glover, a young girl of 13 years old. This sampler, now housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, showcases traditional skills like alphabet stitching and floral motifs. The sampler’s inscription, “How blest the maid, whom circles tears / improve…,” underscores the importance of virtue and piety in young women’s education, a common theme in embroidery samplers of the time. The sampler is a testament to Glover’s skill and the enduring tradition of needlework as a form of female expression and education in the late 18th century.