Art Institute of Chicago

Family Record

Harriot Augusta Raymond (American, 1808-1887)

Date: about 1819
Medium: Linen, plain weave; embroidered with wool and silk in cross stitches
Culture: Boston
Department: Textiles
Institution: Art Institute of Chicago

This early American family record lists births, marriages, and deaths in the Raymond family. It pays special tribute to George Raymond; a poem stitched in the lower-right column suggests that he died as a child. The work was sewn by Harriot Augusta Raymond—who may have been George’s sibling—when she was 11 years old. The fine black thread used to stitch early family records is often the first material to deteriorate. The iron in the black dyes reacts strongly to light and environmental conditions. As a result, the dates, names, and verses for which samplers are known and cherished slowly disappear.

View at Art Institute of Chicago ↗

The authoritative record is held by Art Institute of Chicago. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.