As soon as I saw the carefully-framed remains of this sampler from 1805, I knew that I HAD to have it. Even in this condition, the precise stitches are a work of art. To be honest, I think I love it MORE in this tattered state than I would have if it were whole.
Sarah Murray and her numbers and alphabets.
dated 1805
I have a huge collection of vintage and antique postcards. My ones of sites in Fredericksburg are matted and framed, and I used to have them hanging in the family room in our past houses. When I saw a dealer with postcards at the Big Flea on Saturday, I checked the Richmond, Virginia, section to see what he had from Hollywood Cemetery.
Three of the five postcards we bought were unused.
One of President Monroe's tomb, and two of the Jefferson Davis family lot.
One of the Davis postcards, copyright 1905, shows landscaping that appears to contain rose bushes!
The other two postcards are my favorite type to find, ones that were used and mailed and contain a message and an address. This one shows President Monroe's tomb, and it was mailed to Miss Mollie Knight in Luray, Virginia, in 1907.
This last one shows a lily pond that once was part of the landscape near the entrance of Hollywood Cemetery. I have never seen this image before, and I am thrilled to have it! It was mailed to Miss Florence Riker in Martinsburg, West Virginia, in 1909.
Next time I go to Hollywood Cemetery, I will bring these along with me and I will try to photograph the same scenes.
There was other great stuff at the show, but this is all we brought home with us. Being in the mood to downsize, declutter, and simplify puts a whole different mood on shopping at an antique show. I look at things and appreciate them, and only items that I absolutely LOVE make the cut ... which, I guess, is how it should be all the time.
