Art Institute of Chicago

Sampler

Ann Sellers (American, 1783-1870)

Date

1793

Medium

Linen, plain weave; embroidered with silk in cross, satin, individual satin, split, and stem stitches; edged with silk, plain weave

Culture

Pennsylvania

Department

Textiles

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Ann Sellers was the unmarried daughter of Elizabeth Coleman and Nathan Sellers (1751–1830), who married on May 4, 1779, in Philadelphia. Although a Quaker, he joined George Washington’s army and fought in the Revolutionary War. This sampler came from the estate of Mary Morley Sellers (d. 1940). The donor’s husband, Frank Harold Sellers (1864–1938) was the great-grandson of Coleman Sellers (1781–1834)—who was married to Sophonisba Peale (1786–1859), the daughter of the artist Charles Wilson Peale (1741–1827)—the brother of Ann Sellers. The elegant design of the sampler can be attributed to Ann’s Quaker upbringing. The verse on the sampler is from “An Invocation to the Almighty,” attributed to Joseph Brown Ladd (1764–1786).

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