Mary Elizabeth Leet's American Sampler is such a beautiful piece of needlework for such a young girl and with a bit of mystery. (I added it to the pattern) The typical format of samplers evolved in the early 18th century into something that could be displayed on the wall in the style of a painting, rather than rolled up as a long, narrow reference piece. You would see alphabets, repeating borders, house and garden motives along with personalized religious verses.
