Anna Huntington Needlework Sampler Rev. Samuel Nott School Franklin, CT dated 1803 An Exceptionally Fine Needlework Sampler Signed Anna Huntington, Franklin, Connecticut, Dated 1803, solidly worked over the ground in red, green, gold, cream, tan and black silk in a variety of stitches including cross, tent, reverse seed, outline and chain on a linen ground depicting both American and exotic scenes surrounding a central diamond containing upper and lower-case alphabets, and sighed Anna Huntington her sampler July 30, 1803 in the 12 year of her age, followed by numerals 1 to 8 and Strive to excel in virtu (sis) only. 16 1/8 x 15 ¼ inches sight. Anna's remarkable sampler belongs to a group of three that were worked between 1797 and 1803. They are believed to have been made under the instruction of the Misses Nott, who kept a school in the Franklin parsonage of their father, the noteworthy minister and educator, Samuel Nott (1754-1852). His well-educated daughters offered unusual opportunities for advanced education, including very sophisticated needlework. The minister's library was no doubt the source for Anna's foreign scenes which includes a depiction of Jerusalem and the Levant. See Ring, Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. I, figs. 233.234. for the other two samplers known from this school. Laura Hyde's sampler worked in 1800, which is in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts, depicts the Bay of Bengal, India within the Ganges, and the harem scene. Anna Huntington (Sep. 1, 1791 - Dec. 13, 1819) born in Franklin, Connecticut, was eldest among the four children of Azariah Huntington (1756-1833) and Parnell Champion (1757-1819). Her father was a prosperous farmer and deacon of the Franklin church. On November 30, 1809, Anna married Stephen Robinson (d.1833) of Canterbury, Connecticut. They lived in Attleboro, Massachusetts, where he was a farmer, a teacher, and later a physician who practiced in Providence. They had three sons and one daughter. Provenance: Stephen and Carol Huber1994» Joan Stephens collection » Sotheby's Auction 1997» Stephen and Carol Huber» Irving and Joy Wolf collection» Sotheby's Auction 2023» Stephen and Carol Huber» The Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts. Literature: Krueger, New England Samplers to 1840, p31, fig 64 Sold STEPHEN & CAROL HUBER (860) 388-6809 Hubers@AntiqueSamplers.com View Other Samplers