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On Tuesday, January 12th 1864 George Müller received into his care 13-year-old orphan Harriett Salt, together with her two sisters Eliza, aged 12, and Mary Joyce, who was 8. Their father, the stone mason Joseph Langstone Salt, had died the previous September of consumption and their mother, who Harriett had been named after, in the October of endometrial cancer. Within the space of one month the three sisters had lost their family and all they held dear and were separated from their three brothers. Neither their grandparents nor uncles and aunts were in a position to care for them.

Samplers worked within the Müller Orphanage are highly sought after by collectors and it is said that a collection of antique samplers or a stitcher’s sampler wall is not complete without at least one example. The samplers acted as a reference to the girls’ needlework skills in the marking of linen and household items when many of the girls found employment as domestic servants.

Bristol orphanage samplers are particularly important as the orphanage kept meticulous records of each child, casting light onto the poverty and desperate social conditions that existed throughout Britain in the 19th century. Today these records give us the opportunity to share Harriett’s story with you. Please see the separate section for copies of the orphanage’s records.

The sampler is suitable for all levels of ability and can be stitched on linen or aida.

Thread Legend

Harriett’s sampler has been reproduced with Au Ver à Soie 100.3 silk on 56ct linen. We have provided two conversions below.

Au Ver à Soie 100.3 681 x 6 spools based on 1 strand on 56ct linen.

Au Ver à Soie d’Alger 2924 x 16 skeins based on 1 strand on 36ct linen.

DMC 321 x 16 skeins based on 2 strands on 36ct linen.

Linen Sizes

The design area is 413 stitches (w) x 414 stitches (h). Our calculations have included a 3” margin for finishing and framing. The original sampler was stitched on linen closest in colour to DMC738.

28ct ~ Design: 29.50″ x 29.57″ Fabric: 35.50″ x 35.57″

32ct ~ Design: 25.81″ x 25.88″ Fabric: 31.81″ x 31.88″

36ct ~ Design: 22.94″ x 23.00″ Fabric: 28.94″ x 29.00″

40ct ~ Design: 20.65″ x 20.70″ Fabric: 26.65″ x 26.70″

46ct ~ Design: 17.96″ x 18.00″ Fabric: 23.96″ x 24.00″

56ct ~ Design: 14.75″ x 14.79″ Fabric: 20.75″ x 20.79″