Harriot Augusta Raymond (American, 1808-1887)
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Family Record
INV-7302
Harriot Augusta Raymond (American, 1808-1887)
Boston, Massachusetts, United Statesabout 1819
textileneedlework (visual works)
Date
about 1819
Medium
Linen, plain weave; embroidered with wool and silk in cross stitches
Dimensions
44.1 × 42.2 cm (17 3/8 × 16 5/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Sarah E. Raymond Fitzwilliam
This early American family record lists births, marriages, and deaths in the Raymond family. It pays special tribute to George Raymond; a poem stitched in the lower-right column suggests that he died as a child. The work was sewn by Harriot Augusta Raymond—who may have been George’s sibling—when she was 11 years old.
The fine black thread used to stitch early family records is often the first material to deteriorate. The iron in the black dyes reacts strongly to light and environmental conditions. As a result, the dates, names, and verses for which samplers are known and cherished slowly disappear.