Remember: Abbe Needlework

When Windham County, Connecticut, sheriff Shubael Abbe died in 1804, one of his daughters, most likely Betsey, his youngest, illustrated her family’s loss in silk embroidery and watercolor. Sixteen years old and a student at one of the best schools in the region, Betsey depicted her mother, brothers, and sisters mourning at his grave.

Curator’s Note:This needlework is nearly identical to one worked by Mary Treadwell for her sister Lucy Jerome. See Betty Ring, Girlhood Embroideries, Vol. 1 p. 216. Mary Treadwell and Betsey Abbe were most likely classmates.