A lovely example of a Scottish mid Victorian sampler.

The sampler was stitched by a young school girl called Margaret Taylor in the year 1853 using vibrant, multi coloured cotton threads to produce a wonderfully decorative piece of work.

Margaret, in keeping with so many samplers of this time, produced her piece to incorporate rows of differing alphabet styles and numbers. She has also included the initials of her family. I have assumed that where there is a 'love heart' between a pair of initials this signifies a marriage and the 'kisses' identify brothers/sisters and/or cousins.

The sampler is framed and is in great overall condition with no tears or noticeable age fading to the stitch work or backing cloth. There is a very nominal amount of stitch loss..to the first 'D' on the second line, the second 'P' on the third line and to very small areas along several 'divider' lines. The extent of this stitch loss though, as you will see from the photograph does not, in my opinion, affect the visual quality of the sampler.

As with a couple of samplers that I have been selling recently, I am only doing so due to a recent 'spring redecoration' within the house and certain items no longer being able to fit into their original wall space!! My loss, therefore, can be your gain and, as ever, I sell without reserve as I always feel that an item reaches its level during the course of a ten day auction!!

The provenance for the piece is that it was purchased from Lyon and Turnbull auction house in Edinburgh, Scotland during one of their 2005 Antique sales.

Please contact me if you require any further information or photographs.

Thanks again and good luck if you decide to bid :-)