"Industry and Virtue Joined" Schoolgirl Needlework of Northern New England

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Maine and New Hampshire were home to numerous female academies where girls in their childhood and early teens were taught, among other things, complex needlework skills. The samplers created by these talented young women are among the best of the decorative objects that emerged from the Federal era, and were often carefully preserved by descendants. For the 2015 exhibition at the Saco Museum, ＂Industry and Virtue Joined＂ Schoolgirl Needlework of Northern New England, authors Tara Raiselis and Leslie Rounds gathered together a magnificent collection of 170 samplers. This catalog offers an up-close look at the needlework, the young artists who so carefully created it, and the teachers who both designed and oversaw the stitching of the pieces. This work, like the previous ＂I My Needle Ply with Skill,＂ is an essential resource for collectors of antique samplers and anyone who admires high-quality stitchery.