AMERICAN, POSSIBLY PENNSYLVANIA, PICTORIAL NEEDLEWORK SAMPLER, silk on linen, top featuring a six-row verse of "Jesus permit thy Gracious name to stand / As the first effort of a youthful hand / And while her fingers o'er the canvass move / Engage her tender heart to seek thy love / With thy dear children let her bear a part / And write thy name thyself upon her heart", signed below "Elizabeth Ann Swarts's Work / 1818", above various floral pictorial motifs, all encompassed by a scrolling flowering-vine border. Housed under UV glass and conservation mounted in a modern frame. Dated 1818. 15 1/4" x 16 3/4" sight, 19" x 20" OA. Very good visual condition with light fading and fugitive color to some thread, scattered professionally mended spots on linen with a few small holes notably along top edge and under large flower motif, a small loss of thread in border along left side, frame with minor wear and two spots of scratches to front. Not examined out of frame. Provenance: From the collection of Nick Routson, Phoenix, AZ.M. Finkel & Daughter, 8/19/2014 (retains dealer label). Catalogue Note: The identity of Elizabeth Ann Swarts is undetermined, but there are a few Elizabeth Swarts (Swartz, Schwartz), who were born between 1800 and 1810 and resided in Pennsylvania around the time of the making of this sampler.