Part of a group of eighteenth-century objects that are the promised gift of Philip Holzer, this delicate sampler has taken pride of place as the earliest American needlework in our collection. It is also the earliest-known example attributed to Newport. American samplers from the first half of the eighteenth century are exceedingly rare; this piece is ornamented with floral motifs that evoke the Baroque style of the previous century. Embroidered with colorful silk threads on a wool ground, primarily in cross-stitch, it features an acorn-and-carnation border, three wide floral bands, and a verse. Although unfinished, the piece is inscribed at the bottom: "Anne Chase Made This Sampler In / The Thirteenth Year of Her Age 1721."

That the sampler is unfinished adds to its interest, since this teaches us about how sampler patterns were laid out and worked from top to bottom. It is not known why Anne did not finish the piece—the most likely reason is her frustration with the intricacies of such fine work. She married Timothy Folger (1706–1750) on December 5, 1733, and lived on Nantucket with him and their five children for the remainder of her life.