Sampler with compound division equation

mid-19th century

Not on view

We may never know what inspired nine-year-old Mary Ann Sadler to convert her mathematics equation into embroidered form. The problem is worked on the basis of the British monetary system using British pounds, shillings, pence (pennies) and farthings. Mary Ann was a student at St. Mark’s School, which was located next to St. Marks’s church on North Audley Street off of Grosvenor Square, near Hyde Park. The school opened in 1831 with the goal of providing the poorer children of the parish with an education at the elementary school level, and it operated in the original building until 1904.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Sampler with compound division equation
Maker: Mary Ann Sadler
Date: mid-19th century
Culture: British, London
Medium: Silk embroidery on wool
Dimensions: H. 6 3/8 x W. 6 3/4 inches (16.2 x 17.1 cm)
Classification: Textiles-Embroidered
Credit Line: From the Collection of Mrs. Lathrop Colgate Harper, Bequest of Mabel Herbert Harper, 1957
Object Number: 57.122.742
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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