St. Joseph’s Academy Schoolgirl Needlework, ca. 1822
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GUEST:
This needlework was completed by my great-great-grandmother Barbara Motter. She was a day student at St. Joseph's Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The work was completed, and she received this premium for it on July 3 of 1822, and it's been in my family the whole time since 1822.
APPRAISER:
The school that she attended was started by a very important lady in the field of Catholic schools. It was Elizabeth Seton, and Elizabeth Seton was born in 1774. At the age of 28, she found herself widowed with five children. Took up teaching in Baltimore, wanted to start a school, found a benefactor, and the benefactor had a farm in Emmitsburg. And they moved the school to Emmitsburg and started it there. It's about 50 miles outside of Baltimore. The main house, which is right here, was called St. Joseph's House, and eventually led, years later, to become St. Joseph's College, which lasted until 1973. Seton Hall University is named after Elizabeth Seton.
GUEST:
I didn't realize that.
APPRAISER:
Yeah. So, a very, very important lady. At the school, these students did these works, and this is a scene of the school with Emmitsburg in the background. This wonderful American schoolgirl pictorial needlework was accomplished somewhere around 1821-1822. The material is silk on silk. It's a very, very accomplished work. Because it was at a school, and this was almost a formulaic piece...
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
...that other students did, as well, there were, according to records, about 100 of these made over a period of time.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And we know of about 30 of them that still exist.
Okay. (laughing): Okay.
APPRAISER:
How old was she when she did this?
GUEST:
She was 19 years old in 1822.
APPRAISER:
This reward of merit, what does it say?
GUEST:
It says "St. Joseph's Academy. "This premium is awarded to Miss Barbara Motter for success and improvement." Dated July 3, 1822, and signed by Sister Rose. Sister Rose took over after the passing of Mother Seton, uh, in 1821, I believe.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Yes, most of the ones that are recorded are after Mother Seton passed away.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Scholars that have studied this body of work have sort of agreed that the young girls were the ones that did the embroidery, but the teachers are the ones that did the background, the gouache on the silk. We're at a point in the marketplace where things are a bit soft. But this is a family piece. You're not selling it.
GUEST:
Correct. This is not for sale.
APPRAISER:
Not for sale. So I think today, what we're gonna do is place an insurance valuation on this of $50,000.
GUEST:
Golly. (laughing) That's amazing.
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