Artmink

American Folk Art Mid-20th Century Linen Cross-Stitch 'Tree of Life' Sampler

By: Signed "Ruth" (surname unknown)

Style: American Folk Art; Needlework Sampler; Mid-20th Century

Origin: United States

Materials: Linen or linen-cotton ground; cotton embroidery floss; hardwood frame with glass

Age: Circa 1944

Condition: Good (visible age toning and foxing, slight waviness under glass; frame with minor scuffs)

Value: $60–$120

Maker's Marks / Writing: Stitched text at lower center reads (line breaks approximate): “I THINK THAT I / SHALL NEVER SEE / A POEM LOVELY / AS A TREE.” Lower right stitched: “Ruth 1944.”

Date: 2025-08-21 15:16:03.260473

Description:

Hand-stitched needlework sampler on linen (or linen-cotton), worked in cross-stitch with a central Tree of Life flanked by small motifs and animals, surrounded by a floral vine border. The lower center carries four lines from Joyce Kilmer’s poem “Trees,” and the lower right is stitched with the maker’s name and date. Colors include soft greens, blues, rose-pinks, and brown. Housed in a simple glazed hardwood frame from the mid-20th century.

Curator Questions

Curated by Jade

Assessment:

This is a homemade American folk needlework sampler, likely created as a domestic craft piece in 1944. The subject, tree-of-life with animals and floral borders, echoes 19th-century schoolgirl samplers but the quoted lines from Joyce Kilmer (1913) and the stitched date firmly place it in the mid-20th century. Visible age toning, scattered foxing, and slight waviness of the ground indicate natural aging rather than recent manufacture. The hand-executed, slightly irregular cross stitches and period frame support it being an authentic 1940s piece rather than a modern printed or machine-made reproduction. Auction interest is modest but steady for well-presented samplers of this era, especially with legible text and a date. A word about fakes.. mid-century samplers are sometimes offered as “1800s” schoolgirl works; watch for artificially aged grounds or printed faux stitches—your example reads as genuinely hand-stitched and appropriately dated.

Individual Images:

whole item

Provenance:

No provenance provided.

Condition:

Good (visible age toning and foxing, slight waviness under glass; frame with minor scuffs)

Identification Score: 95%

Clear identification based on subject (Tree of Life sampler), technique (cross-stitch on linen), explicit stitched date and name, and typical American folk motifs and framing from the 1940s.

Authenticity Score: 80%

Hand-stitch irregularities, sun-toned/foxed linen, and a period-appropriate frame point to a genuine 1940s handwork. While nearly certain it is authentic to its 1944 date, the lack of back view and backing details keeps the score below 90%.

Image Memory Note

Framed rectangular sampler behind glass. Medium-brown hardwood frame with simple molding. Ground cloth is beige with pronounced age toning and scattered small brown foxing spots; slight waviness visible under glass. Central motif: a stylized tree with many small green leaves and rose-pink buds; small blue floral sprigs nearby. Upper area includes small diamond/leaf motifs and two small blue-and-rose bird/urn-like motifs. Border: continuous floral vine of green leaves and rose-pink flowers forming an inner rectangular frame, with denser floral clusters at the corners. Lower register: two small brown deer facing inward near left and right corners, with tiny blue floral sprigs near them; a green diamond motif centered above the lower border. Text stitched in block capitals and numerals at the lower center: “I THINK THAT I / SHALL NEVER SEE / A POEM LOVELY / AS A TREE” (punctuation not visible). Lower right corner stitched signature and date: “Ruth 1944”. Thread colors: soft green, muted blue, rose-pink, and brown. No visible alphabet rows or numerals beyond the date. No visible maker’s label on frame reverse (not shown). No major tears observed; overall even fading and toning consistent with age.

Keywords

American Folk Art, Needlework Sampler, Cross-Stitch, Tree of Life, Joyce Kilmer Trees, 1944, United States, linen embroidery, vintage sampler

Report ID:  : yhvasv

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