(At the top): Newbury Port / 1802 / (Starting at the center): Each pleasing art lends softness to our minds / And with our studies, are our lives refin'd / It is the business of education to lop off some little, luxuriant / boughs from the tree of nature, but not to constrain it, that it / cannot vegetate or give to every branch, an unnatural direction. I should prefer the plain, honest awkwardness of a mere, country / girl , to overacted refinement . November 9th / Lest sense be ever in your view, / Nothing is beautiful. that is not true; / The true alone is lovely. / Mary Choate //

Maker

Choate, Mary

Date made

1801

Origin

Newburyport, MA US

Stitches

Cross, Satin, Stem,Eyelet,

In Bolton & Co.

No

Foundation Cloth

Linen

Embroidery Thread

Silk

Predominent Motif

6 alphabets: lowercase uses has both the long and the short S, uppercase script missing the J. Numbers 1-3. All done in a saw tooth rectangle. A flowering vine up both sides, ribbons with bows at the top and a flower spray at the bottom.

Inscription

(At the top): Newbury Port / 1802 / (Starting at the center): Each pleasing art lends softness to our minds / And with our studies, are our lives refin'd / It is the business of education to lop off some little, luxuriant / boughs from the tree of nature, but not to constrain it, that it / cannot vegetate or give to every branch, an unnatural direction. I should prefer the plain, honest awkwardness of a mere, country / girl , to overacted refinement . November 9th / Lest sense be ever in your view, / Nothing is beautiful. that is not true; / The true alone is lovely. / Mary Choate //

Owner

Historical Society of Old Newbury, Newburyport, MA

Owner Private

Historical Society of Old Newbury