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ELIZA ANN PETRS This American Quaker sampler was made originally in Poughkeepsie, New York, probably at the Nine Partners School, which was established in Dutchess County in 1796. The coeducational school functioned until 1857, and was directly affiliated with the better known Quaker schools, including Westtown School in Chesterfield, Pennsylvania. Sewing and sampler-making were important parts of the curriculum at both schools until, in 1843, sewing activities were suspended after the school decided that they were no longer relevant to the female education. The date on this sampler was evidently "picked out". It illustrates examples of many popular Quaker school embroidery motifs, including the distinctive and clear Roman-style lettered alphabet, and below that the initial/numeric combinations, sometimes referred to as "The Rule to Mark Napkins". The two rows that appear to be invisible are in fact stitched in tone-on-tone beige. The verse reads as follows:
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