Embroidered Sampler

Mary Beatrix Felix was the daughter of Anthony Felix (1781-1863) and Catherine Martin Felix, Reading, Pennsylvania, who were members of St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Reading where she was baptized in 1827, the year of her birth. 

This pictorial embroidery includes a pastoral scene with house, shepherd, and animals surrounded by birds, butterflies, cornucopia, and basket of flowers, surrounded by a meandering strawberry vine in a Queen’s stitch.  It is likely that the composition derives from an allegorical or biblical context, as do many samplers typical of the Reading area.