Item HT 38901 Sampler - Alice Winter, 'Honour Thy Father and Mother and Forget Not All Their Kindness', Melbourne, circa 1867

Summary

Sampler made by Alice Winter around 1867, when she was 10 years old.

One of a group of five early Australian samplers completed by sisters Alice and Eliza Winter in Latrobe Street, Melbourne between 1846 and 1866. Alice Winter was christened in 1857 and lived to old age.

Physical Description

Embroidered sampler in brightly coloured threads featuring text in pink and green, on a woven white fabric ground. The design includes the alphabet in capital and lower case letters, followed by numerals, a biblical quote from the Ten Commandments, the maker's name, age and address.

Significance

The significance of the samplers lies in both their provenance to a single Melbourne family in the mid-19th century and the content of the samplers themselves. The sampler made by Alice Winter at the age of 10 includes her address '172 La Trobe Street Melbourne'. An incomplete sampler, said to have been made by Eliza, includes images of two gabled houses and a black kettle - conceivably depicting her environment in early Melbourne. It is possible that the sampler was never completed as she died in 1853. The samplers contribute to documentation of girls' education and preparation for domestic life in Melbourne in the mid-19th century.