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Rebecca Carter Sampler
Rebecca Carter, 1778–1837
Photo courtesy Sotheby's, New York
Providen…
Rebecca Carter Sampler
Rebecca Carter Sampler
Rebecca Carter, 1778–1837
Photo courtesy Sotheby's, New York
Providen…
Rebecca Carter Sampler Rebecca Carter, 1778–1837 Photo courtesy Sotheby's, New York Providence, Ehode Island, New York 1788 Silk, metallic thread, and human hair on linen 19 1/4 x 13 1/2" Collection American Folk Art Museum, New York Gift of Ralph Esmerian, 2013.1.47 Photo courtesy Southeby's, New York
Record Details

Rebecca Carter Sampler

Artist ((1778–1837))
Date1788
Place/RegionProvidence, Rhode Island, United States
MediumSilk, metallic thread, and human hair on linen
Dimensions19 1/4 × 13 1/2"
Credit LineGift of Ralph Esmerian
Accession number2013.1.47
CopyrightThe American Folk Art Museum believes this work to be in the public domain.
Description

Schoolmistresses played a pivotal role in the new nation by educating the young women who would be responsible for raising the first generations of independent Americans. Ornamental arts such as needlework represented creative collaborations between teacher and student and were also intended to instill moral and civic values in impressionable minds. This example is dominated by the imposing architecture of the State House in Providence, attesting to the ideals of the nation and the development of its infrastructure through the establishment of august bodies of government.

Rebecca Carter was born into an influential Providence family. Her father, John Carter, apprenticed with Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia before becoming editor of the Providence Gazette. At his death, he was honored as a disciple of George Washington and an advocate for the Constitution of the United States, which Rhode Island ratified in 1790. Though he struggled financially through the war years, Carter sent his elder daughter Ann to school in Newport, where she began this sampler. It was completed in 1788 by her sister Rebecca at the renowned Providence school operated by Mary Balch (1762–1831).

Stacy C. Hollander, “Rebecca Carter Sampler,” exhibition label for Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum. Stacy C. Hollander and Valérie Rousseau, curators. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2014.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information. 

To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org

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