Abigail Purintun, 1788. #SA000235

Image courtesy of Winterthur Museum

Abigail Purintun, 1788

Sampler Archive ID:	SA000235
Maker:	Abigail Purinton
Maker Birthplace:	Danvers, Essex County, Massachusetts
Maker Age:	years
Place Made:	Danvers, Essex County, Massachusetts
Year Made:	1788
Decade Made:	1780-1789
Owner:	Winterthur Museum
Accession Number:	1963.0515
Object Credit:	Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont
Contributor:	Winterthur Museum

Physical Characteristics

Object type:

Sampler

Needlework techniques:

Embroidery

Shape:

Mostly square

Object Dimensions:

15.20 H x 15.50 W (inches)

Framed Dimensions:

18.50 H x 18.70 W (inches)

Borders:

Decorative Bands:

None

Dividing Lines:

Enclosures:

Cartouches: Yes

Text types:

Alphabet, Number series, Personal name, Date, Verse, Maker signature

Text medium:

Stitched

Click to View Text Transcription:

Behold Alas Our Days We Spend
How Vain They Are How Soon They End
May Useful Arts Employ My Youth
And Love Of Virtue And Of Truth
That When These Fleeting Moments End
A Crown Immortal I May Find

Abigail Purintun Her Sampler Aged 10 1788

Motifs/Symbols:

Animals, Birds and insects, Floral and plant, Geometric, Human made object

Scenes/Pictures:

Landscape

Ground:

Linen

Ground Condition:

Wear:
Cleanliness: Clean
Loss: none noted

Thread:

Silk

Thread Colors Front:

Black, Blue, Gold, Green, Pink, Purple, Rust, Tan, White

Thread Condition:

Borders: Intact
Text: Intact
Symbols: Intact

Other Materials:

None

Stitch Types:

Cross, Eyelet, Knotted, Long and short, Running, Satin, Stem, Drizzle

Thread Count:

Vertical:
Horizontal:

Maker History

Sources for the following information may be viewed by clicking on the links."

Sources for unlinked items are coming soon.

Birth Name:	object, Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915
Birthdate:	Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915
Birth Location:	1790 and 1800 census for Samuel Purington [sic] (father) County: Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915 State Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915
Death Date:	Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988
Death Location:	Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988
Religion:
Parents:	Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988	Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, The Newhall Family of Lynn, Massachusetts, Part I. Henry Waters, 1882	Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988
	Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915	Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915	Massachusetts, Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910
Marriages:
	Spouse: Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915	Birth: Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915	Death: Massachusetts, Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910
	Date: Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988	Place: Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988

Children:

Object History

Previous Owners:	Name: Henry Francis du Pont Relation to maker: none
Conservation:	None
Exhibitions:	Title: Beyond Necessity: Art in the Folk Tradition Host: Brandywine River Museum Location: Chadds Ford, PA Date: 1977 Title: Winterthur Museum Permanent Display Host: Winterthur Museum Location: Winterthur, DE Date: ongoing
Literature:	Author(s): Kenneth L. Ames Title: Beyond Necessity: Art in the Folk Tradition: An Exhibition from the Collections of Winterthur Museum at the Brandywine River Museum, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania Publication/Publisher: The Winterthur Museum/W. W. Norton & Company, p. 109 Date: 1977 Author(s): Susan Burrows Swan Title: A Winterthur Guide to American Needlework Publication/Publisher: New York: Crown Publishers, p. 14 Date: 1976

Object Details