The sampler which featured in ATG No 2541.
I write in respect of the article in ‘First black person to be depicted on a sampler’ (The Back Page, ATG No 2641).
Not being one to pour cold water on what may well be the first depiction of a black person on a sampler, I offer the possibility that the character with the black face and colourful costume that features in Mary Saunders’ sampler could be an early illustration of a ‘Mummer’.
Mummers were groups that were masked or disguised in a variety of costumes. They paraded and entered houses to dance and perform plays, some of which were based around St George slaying the dragon.
A detail of the sampler which featured in ATG No 2541.
Many forms of Morris dancing that you see today are based on these performances and still feature elaborate masks and blackened faces.
‘Mumming’ or ‘Mummery’ was popularised in England toward the end of the 16th century but contemporary reference to it appears not to begin until the late 18th century when presumably, it had a revival in popularity or occurrence.
Whatever the true explanation may be, the person obviously made an impression on Mary and it still remains a rare, possibly unique feature on a sampler.
Keith Honeycombe
Honeycombe Antiques
This remarkably similar one dates from 1785…
A sampler by Elizabeth Sharp, an ancestor of our letter writer.
I noted with interest your article mentioning ‘First black person to be depicted on a sampler’ (Letters, ATG No 2641).
Your correspondent might be intrigued to see an image by an ancestor of mine depicting a similar individual dated a bit later, 1785!
A detail in the sampler by Elizabeth Sharp, an ancestor of our letter writer.
The family had connections in trade in the West Indies, hence the subject.
Stephen Sharp
