This is a highly collectable antique textile.
It is a genuine antique sampler - and is being sold as such with all your consumer rights in place.
It is one of four antique samplers in my Iconic Edinburgh online store - all dating to the 19th century.
This one is now over 180 years old - and for its age, it is certainly in fine antique condition.
It is of a standard size - and the cotton is in good condition with no holes - it has discoloured naturally over the last two centuries and the textile has a beige colour commensurate with age.
Dimensions: 43.5 x 20 cm.
The top section has rows of alphabet letters - all doubles. Further down are more letters - and a selection of fancy borders.
The lowest section of the sampler has a pretty pictorial scene - in the center is a wee red plant with tiny blue flowers. Two little red birds at each side. Above this is a red crown - and the date in black thread 1833. To the side are two door keys.
At the edges are two tall plants complete with eight pale blue bell-shaped flowers.
I love the large capital letters above which have little holes in them - as created by the stitcher.
All the bottom edge is the name of the stitcher: ANN ROBETS (perhaps she has been so excited to complete her sampler that she has spelt her name wrong - and missed out the R). She is only 11 years old.
It is sold unframed - which makes it easy for you to fully check the condition, and allows you to see all the neat little knots in the thread where new thread was added during the stitching process - it looks nice and neat at the back - as to the front (see my last photograph).
This one came to me with the other ones - and although it has no place name stitched on it - have no doubts that it is probably Scottish in origin.
It is listing at a fair price for a fine textile created in the 1830s. It came to me with the other ones listed - so I am assuming that this one is also Scottish in origin.