Lucy Potter (American, active 1790s)
Mary Balch's School
Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Sampler
INV-8990
Lucy Potter (American, active 1790s)
Mary Balch's School
Providence, Rhode Island, United States1791
Sampler
Lucy Potter (American, active 1790s) Mary Balch's School Providence, Rhode Island, United States →textileneedlework (visual works)
Date
1791
Medium
Linen, plain weave; embroidered with silk in cross, Rococo, Roumanian, satin, stem, and tent stitches
Dimensions
43.5 × 34.3 cm (17 1/8 × 13 1/2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Naomi Donnelley through the Needlework and Textile Guild
This skillfully executed sampler belongs to one the most recognizable groups of samplers associated with a specific school, that of Mary Balch. Balch (1762–1831), also known as Polly, began teaching in 1782 to help support her family. During her 45 years of teaching, several distinctive styles of samplers and silk embroideries evolved at her school. The maker of this sampler was possibly Lucy Potter Fuller (1778–1864), the daughter of Joseph Potter (1739–1831) and Abigail Dunwell Potter (1750–1828), who married Joseph Field Fuller (1763–1845) in 1794.
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