Lot 138: Sister’s Neckerchief

SOLD: $5,250 (without buyer’s premium)
Estimate: $2,000 – $4,000

Silk, deep plum background color, red squares and white centers, and sets of nine white dots in squares, between lines of single white dots, embroidered with initials “A.L.”, Alfred, ME, c.. 1870-1890, laid on a white raw silk backing and framed under plexiglass in a highly figured wood frame, 32″ x 33 1/2″ (neckerchief), 40″ x 41 1/2″ (frame).

Note: Two identical kerchiefs remain at Sabbathday Lake, illustrated in Shaker Textile Arts, Beverly Gordon, Hanover, NH, 1980, p. 171.

Provenance: Private collection sold at “Unreserved Shaker Auction”, Paul McInnis, Inc., Hampton Falls, NH, July 28, 1991, lot 183.
Doug Hamel
California private collection.

Illustrated: Robert Shaw, America’s Traditional Crafts, Southport, CT, 1983, p. 79.