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| Lydia Withington, Boston Harbour, 1799 Courtesy, www.BostonHistory.org The Bostonian Society |
It was one of those chance moments when
circumstances bring us unexpected delights. I had recently completed an article
centered on a young woman of the early Republic, Myra Montgomery of Haverhill,
New Hampshire, who had studied at Susanna Rowson’s Young Ladies Academy
in Boston. (1) (For more: http://silkdamask.blogspot.com/2013/05/mrs-susanna-rowsons-school-myra.html.)
Myra was in Boston to complete her silk embroidery. (As of this writing, I still
hope to locate the piece that she crafted, as well as those of her two older
sisters, Mary and Ann, but that is a story for another time.)
I
had an opportunity to attend a very special antique show and no doubt you can
imagine the thrill when, turning a corner I was facing an embroidery
of Boston Harbor, c. 1800. I immediately
recognized it as a product Mrs. Rowson's Academy. It then dawned on me that I had also seen a closely related
work at the Bostonian Society: Lydia Withington’s silk map of Boston Harbor,
completed in 1799 when she was 15 years. (2) The piece that now perched before me
was Sally Dodge’s embroidered map, completed at the Female Academy the
following year. (3) (It was sold at auction at Skinner, Inc. in August 2013 and is
now available again from Boston Rare Maps.)
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| Courtesy, Boston Rare Maps www.bostonraremaps.com |
Both
pieces are striking and feature silk thread embroidery, which is worked on silk as well. They are quite
delicate, and you can see patches in both maps of shredded, split silk and losses to the support. Exposure to light has not been kind. It is
not surprising that objects of this composition are quite ephemeral. The
attempt at geographical accuracy was strong.
That
they come from the same source is clear. They share the conventional Federal
motif of a majestic eagle and the vantage point is identical, as are the
spellings of towns and bodies of water (“Boston Harbour”). What may not be as
evident at first glance is the distinctive shift in the subject matter selected
and what were deemed “acceptable” topics for a young lady’s education in the
early republic. Mrs. Rowson,
well-known as the author of Charlotte
Temple had also published two books on geography—An Abridgement of Universal Geography (1805) and Youth's first Step in Geography (1811)--and clearly imparted her
knowledge to her pupils. And, it appears, the parents (who were footing steep
costs for tuition, extra lessons and supplies) found the shift from inward-oriented
religious and family samplers to those which looked out upon a larger world
were quite comfortable with this shift in ideas about a proper education for
young women. It was, historically, a significant moment in post-Revolutionary
America.
I
do not believe that the two works have been shown together, and, so, I invite
you compare, contrast and cogitate on these beautiful (but extremely fragile)
maps and what they may represent regarding changing ideals of women’s
education.
Contacts and Sources:
1.
Kimberly S. Alexander, “Myra Montgomery’s
World: Haverhill, Boston and Beyond” Historical New Hampshire, volume 67; Nos. 1& 2, Fall-Winter 2013.
2. Lydia Withington:
http://www.bostonhistory.org
3. Sally Dodge:
Link to Skinner Sale of Sally Dodge Boston Map, 1800
Contact Information for Boston Rare Maps
Michael L. Buehler
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