Victorian Framed Needlework Sampler (1865)

This very early, large, framed needlework sampler is signed and dated. It features, in various colours (reds, yellows, greens, pinks etc.), the alphabet along the top, a flowerpot with flowers in the middle towards the bottom, the initials ‘E W’ on either side with the date ‘1865’ underneath. There’s a pair of swans on each side of the flowerpot, with two butterflies above it. There’s a saying in the middle with birds on either side, and all are surrounded with a floral and vine border. The saying reads: “Remember now thy Creator In the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them”. There is some discolouration of the linen and fading of some colours which is to be expected with age, and other than a small hole appearing in the centre of the wording in the middle, the sampler is in good condition. It is framed behind glass in a thin decorative wooden gilt frame, and measures 48,5cm x 44,5cm.