A particularly striking and unusual Welsh pictorial sampler, worked wool by Elizabeth Lloyd, aged 14, in 1852.
The large and wonderfully detailed sampler depicts Conwy Castle and Thomas Telford’s suspension bridge, with the castle rising dramatically beside the water beneath a vivid blue sky. Trees, rocks and figures populate the foreground, creating an exceptionally decorative composition. Topographical subjects are considerably less commonly encountered in 19th-century samplers, making this a particularly appealing example.
Worked in coloured wools on canvas, the sampler is inscribed along the lower edge with the name of its young maker, Elizabeth Lloyd, her age of 14 and the date 1852, together with the names Rice Lloyd and Mary Lloyd.
Genealogical research has revealed a compelling identification for Elizabeth. Parish records document an Elizabeth Lloyd baptised at Penmon, Anglesey, on 15 February 1839, daughter of Rice Lloyd and Mary Lloyd. The baptism date need not represent her date of birth and, given the unusual combination of all three names appearing on the sampler, the record provides a particularly interesting link to its maker.
Further census research appears to place Elizabeth at school in 1851, shortly before this ambitious piece was completed.
The subject itself forms an evocative record of 19th-century North Wales. Conwy Castle is shown alongside Thomas Telford’s suspension bridge, opened in 1826, its distinctive towers and chains clearly recognisable in the needlework.
Welsh, dated 1852.
Approximately 45 × 55 cm.
Unframed, with age-related wear and losses consistent with its age, as photographed.
A wonderfully atmospheric piece of Welsh needlework and social history, particularly appealing for its unusual identifiable topographical subject and the survival of the young maker’s name, age and family history.