This post is from a blog called Conversant, formerly published by the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum.
At the risk of revealing too many details about my personal life outside of the work place, I will admit to being an unabashed fan of the game show Jeopardy. My family watched so frequently when I was growing up that the theme song is one of the first tunes I remember singing. Singing as a child has now morphed into steadfast opinions as an adult viewer. I can tell you that betting big is usually the way to go, bouncing around categories drives me crazy, and Kids Week is absolutely adorable, but Celebrity Jeopardy is always the best because the questions are easy but not too easy.
I admit all of this to provide a backdrop for the evening of June 7th, when I received a text from my aunt, who lives in upstate New York where Jeopardy airs a half an hour earlier, telling me to make sure I tuned in. In case you missed it, PEM was, however briefly, the star of episode #7317…
If you’re getting unmistakable spectral vibes, then you would be absolutely correct. The clue was under the category of “Museums” and the answer is indeed witchcraft. After sharing the image with some fellow museum colleagues (and also on Twitter!), we thought that Jeopardy fans (and the wider public) might want to know more about this singular object in PEM’s collection.
Paula Bradstreet Richter, PEM’s Curator for Exhibitions and Research tells us more…
“So, what is this needlework by Mary English described in the Jeopardy clue and why is it important? The long narrow panel of linen embroidered around 1665 by Mary Holingworth (English was her married name) is one of the earliest surviving samplers created by a young woman in colonial America. During the 1600s, female teachers taught schoolgirls how to create samplers as instruction in sewing, decorative embroidery, learning the alphabet, reading, and as a form of artistic training. Mary Holingworth’s sampler features floral motifs arranged in horizontal bands that were adapted from botanical and gardening books and embroidery pattern books. The angular vines demonstrate the influence of strap work and knotted motifs, patterns popular in art, architecture, decorative arts, and garden design of the period. The once bright silk thread has faded to muted shades of blue, green, and beige. A few stitches of reddish orange provide a pop of color on two flowers in an upper row of the sampler. The last rows on the sampler feature the alphabet followed by the maker’s name. When she ran out of room, Mary embroidered the final two letters of her name below the last row on a separate line.
Mary Holingworth 1650/52-94, Salem and Boston, Massachusetts Sampler, about 1665 Silk and linen 7 1/2 x 25 inches Peabody Essex Museum, bequest of George Rea Curwen, 1900 4134.39.
Mary Holingworth 1650/52-94, Salem and Boston, Massachusetts Sampler, about 1665 Silk and linen 7 1/2 x 25 inches Peabody Essex Museum, bequest of George Rea Curwen, 1900 4134.39.
The daughter of a merchant and tavern owner, Mary Holingworth married Philip English an affluent merchant in 1675. The English family acquired significant wealth through international maritime trade and in 1683 built a large and stylish house in Salem where they resided with their children. In 1692, Mary Holingworth and her husband Philip English were accused and imprisoned during the Salem witchcraft trials, first in Salem and later moved to a jail in Boston. Aided by Boston clergy and government officials, Mary and Philip English escaped to New York where they remained until the trials were over, returning to Salem in 1693. The privation experienced during imprisonment impacted Mary’s health and she died in 1694 at the age of 42. Philip English eventually remarried in 1698 and spent much of the remainder of his life seeking reparation of his personal and commercial property that had been seized during the trials.
Slatback great chair, 1680-1700 Probably Boston, Massachusetts Maple and ash, with later pine seat H: 48 x W: 24 x D: 16 in. Gift of Mary R. Crowninshield, 1908 101850.
Slatback great chair, 1680-1700 Probably Boston, Massachusetts Maple and ash, with later pine seat H: 48 x W: 24 x D: 16 in. Gift of Mary R. Crowninshield, 1908 101850.
Several objects associated with Mary and Philip English were preserved by descendants and are now in the Peabody Essex Museum collection. Her sampler was bequeathed to the museum in 1900 by George Rea Curwen, a descendant of Philip and Mary English and a local antiquarian. Mary English’s chair also survives in the museum’s collection. The slatback great chair was later owned by Salem minister the Reverend William Bentley who had the inscription, “It shall be told of her” painted on the front upper slat and the date “1692,” “M. English,” and “Ap. 22,” the date of her mittimus, the warrant ordering her imprisonment, painted on the back of the chair.
The sampler and chair serve as tangible reminders of the individuals whose live became entangled in the Salem witch trials, a controversial and pivotal event in American history that still fascinates people today.”
Editor’s Note: This post was originally posted on Connected.
Paula Richter is Curator for Exhibitions and Research. Her current work focuses primarily on the changing exhibition program at PEM. She has also worked extensively with the museum’s fashion and textile collection and the American art and decorative art collection. Interests include American regional art, culture, and history; historic houses and landscapes; and bird-watching and day-hikes exploring New England’s coastlines and open spaces.
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