A SILK-ON-LINEN NEEDLEWORK PICTURE

Details

A SILK-ON-LINEN NEEDLEWORK PICTURE
BY ELLEN MULFORD, NEW JERSEY, 1837

Worked in silk polychrome threads on a linen ground; the upper register with an upper and lower case alphabetic sequence; the lower register with a basket of flowers surrounded by a pair of birds, trees, and bouquets of flowers; the inner border with numerous squares depicting stars, flower baskets, trees, birds, and animals, the outer border of a continuous floral and vine design--19 1/4 x 18 1/2in.

Provenance

Ellen Mulford Dickinson
Eliza Snitcher Miller
Henrietta Snitcher Stewart

Lot Essay

Ellen Mulford, the daughter of Ephraim and Rhoda Mulford, was born in 1823 in Woodstown, New Jersey. In 1846, Ellen was married to Mahlon Dickinson, son of John and Sarah Craig Dickinson. The Dickinsons were a prominent Philadelphia family, and one of the family's members, John Dickinson, was one of the city's leading public figures. He chaired the committee that drew up the Articles of Confederation and participated in the legislation that provided the framework for the early government of the new nation.