Sampler

Artist/Maker
Lindsay, Mary Elizabeth
Place Made
Guilford County North Carolina United States of America
Date Made
September 24, 1841
Medium
silk on linen
Dimensions
HOA: 20″; WOA: 19″
Accession Number
5962.1
Description
DESCRIPTION: Stitched with silk thread on linen, seven different alphabet series and one numerical series are separated by decorative bands. Stitches include cross, eyelet, satin, herringbone, and queen. The sampler is bordered with an unusual star-like vine pattern which encloses her work and the inscription “Mary Eliza Lindsay September 24 1841.”

MAKER: Mary Eliza Lindsay (1822-1910) was the daughter of Andrew (1786-1844) and Elizabeth (Dick) Lindsay (1792-1845 of Guilford County, North Carolina. The Lindsay family was prominent in the early history of Guilford County, and settled on the Deep River in the eastern part of the county in the mid 18th century. When the county was first established, in 1771, the county court met in the home of Mary Eliza’s grandfather, Robert Lindsay (c.1735-1801). Her father Andrew was a prosperous farmer and businessman. At his death in 1844, he was one of the wealthiest men in Guilford County.

RELATED OBJECTS: For samplers by her mother and sister Martha Emily Lindsay (1817-1856), see Old Salem Acc. # 5962.2 and 5962.3.

Mary Eliza’s sampler was completed at the age of nineteen. She most likely attended the Greensborough Female Academy, where her father was a trustee. IN 1847, Mary Eliza married Wyatt Fletcher Bowman (1820-1882). Wyatt operated a successful cotton brokerage firm in High Point. By 1879 the Bowmans had moved to the new town of Winston, where he became the founder and first president of Wachovia National Bank.

Credit Line
Anonymous Gift