Stephen and Carol Huber -
Rare signed and dated canvaswork courting scene inscribed:
Barbara Adams work aged 10 years March the 15. 1749

Huber,s antique samplers home


Watercolors &
Silk Embroidered Memorials

Watercolors &
Silk Embroidered Pictures

Canvaswork Pictures

Stumpwork and Related Needlework

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Help with Selling or Buying antique samplers, needlework pictures, silk embroideries, books

Stephen and Carol Huber - Samplers - Antique Needlework

40 Ferry Rd, Old Saybrook, CT. 06475 - - (860-388-6809)
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Samplers, Hubers buy and sell antique needlework samplers

Silk Embroidered Memorials, Hubers buy & sell antique needlework silk embroidered. memorials.
Silk Embroidered

Silk Embroidered Pictures, Hubers buy and sell antique needlework Silk Embroidered Pictures.
Silk Embroidered


Canvaswork Pictures Hubers buy and sell antique needlework Canvaswork Pictures.

Stumpwork and Related Needlework, Hubers buy and sell antique needleworkStumpwork
English 17th Century Samplers

 Hubers buy and sell Antique needlework books on samplers, silk embroideries, needlework pictures
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Articles About Antique Needlework & Famous Collections

Antique samplers were predominantly stitched by young girls in private schools, in the 200 year period between 1650-1850.

The Huber's large inventory emphasizes American and English antique samplers, silk embroideries and related textiles. Their historic shop (open by appointment) is a 1649 house in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. They hold special events throughout the year and participate in the nation's leading antique shows.

They have, and continue to assemble, the best collections of antique samplers and needlework in America. They routinely advise major museums, historical societies and private collectors, and are consulted by the leading auction houses.

They welcome inquiries from beginning collectors to the most advanced for either purchasing or selling.

Explanation of the above categories.

Sampler or Antique Sampler: Usually these terms refer to early needlework accomplishments stitched, or wrought by young students in schools with silk thread on a linen background. They can run the gamut in quality, complexity, and price. The first attempt at making a sampler by a young girl, or far less frequently a young boy, was usually a very simple sampler with only alphabets, numbers, name, date, and sometimes a small amount of decorative stitching. These are commonly referred to as marking samplers. As the students became more capable, the complexity of the sampler usually increased accordingly. At the very top are some masterpieces sporting a wide variety of difficult stitches and subtle color changes intricately and graphically executed to create a needlework sampler that was framed, proudly displayed and cherished. Now those same samplers are highly sought after and cherished by knowledgeable antique needlework collectors.

Silk Embroidered Pictures: We use this term to refer to early needlework that was embroidered with silk or chenille thread on a silk (not linen, canvas, or cotton) background. Often the silk background not covered with embroidery is painted with watercolors. These were popular c1780 to c1840 and were extremely expensive and difficult to execute. They often depicted classic biblical stories, mythological stories, popular stories of the times, or memorial themes. The faces were often painted by well-known artists of the period, some are known today although many are yet to be identified. In general, privileged young girls attending the finest schools were responsible for these exquisite silk embroidered pictures. We consider this type of needlework to be the highest quality needlework art of the period.

Memorials: Although memorials were usually a form of "silk embroidered pictures" they deserve a category to themselves. A memorial needlework picture was one of the expected accomplishments of a young cultured girl c1780 to c1840. These typically show a tomb, mourning figures, and weeping willow trees. They are beautiful, sensitive, and graceful works of needlework art that are highly sought after by the top collectors of antique samplers and needlework. Contrary to popular belief, the stitchers of these memorials were not necessarily in mourning over the loss of a loved one but merely creating a popular form of needlework. If they had no one close enough to them to memorialize, they may dedicate their memorial to a well known figure or inscribe the tomb "sacred to friendship" or simply leave it blank.

Canvaswork pictures: This category refers to a well known group of needlework pictures or needlepoint pictures, executed in "tent" stitch, predominately made in the mid 18th century in Philadelphia, Connecticut, Rhode Island, the Boston area, and in England. They often depict a shepherd and shepherdess or a hunt scene with a pastoral background. They vary in size from about 4" x 6" to massive and impressive works of art referred to as "over mantles" that can be 2 feet high and 5 feet wide. This type of needlework folk art is some of the most highly prized and aggressively collected antique needlework on the market today.

English 17th century samplers and related needlework: We are using this category to present 17th century needlework, usually from England, and other types of needlework or beadwork that doesn't conveniently fall into any of the other categories. Stumpwork is a term commonly used today to refer to early raised or padded needlework that was popular in the mid 17th century.

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We buy and sell antique needlework

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