A beautiful and particularly poignant Victorian needlework sampler, worked in 1849 by Elizabeth Trezise, aged just nine years.

Worked with alphabets, numerals and a lovely decorative strawberry and floral border, the sampler is signed:

“Elizabeth Trezise

Aged 9 Years

1849”

Elizabeth Jane Trezise, born 20 October 1839 at Trewellard, St Just-in-Penwith, Cornwall, daughter of tin miner William Trezise and Jane/Jennifer Bolitho. Her father died when Elizabeth was still a small child.

Elizabeth later emigrated to Australia, married and raised a large family, having 15 children. Remarkably, her son William Trezise Eddy (1864–1926) became a businessman and auctioneer and later represented Coolgardie in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1905 to 1908.

While the genealogical identification cannot be regarded as absolutely proven, the unusual name, location and recorded birth date — which made Elizabeth exactly nine years old for most of 1849 — provide a particularly compelling match.

A wonderfully evocative piece of Victorian childhood and social history: a sampler made by a little Cornish girl whose life would eventually take her halfway around the world.

Framed size: approximately 11 inches wide × 15¼ inches high.

Presented in a frame and showing the expected fading, discolouration and age-related wear of a textile dating from 1849. Please examine all photographs carefully as they form part of the description.