Salle Jessup, 1791 Small Alphabet Sampler with Staccato Rhythm cottongrass One short side of box

One short side of box top lost

With some years on it and in in great shape

this otherworldly baby boy on blue blanket

The darkening of the ground toward the top of the painting is also a bit unexpected

noted that she had raised this iris herself

Salle Jessup, 1791 Small Alphabet Sampler with Staccato Rhythm cottongrass One short side of boxI know from the seller of this one that the maker, who cross stitched her name here in 1791, was Sarah "Salle" Jessup (b. 1772) of Palmyra, NY. I've been thinking a lot lately about how young the United States is, and how close at hand, really, the American Revolution which has me feeling especially keen to hold 18th century American things in my hands. So while this is a small, humble sampler, I could not leave it behind, and I like the staccato