Family Record
c. 1819
Medium
Linen, plain weave; embroidered with wool and silk in cross stitches
Dimensions
44.1 × 42.2 cm (17 3/8 × 16 5/8 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
73029
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This early American family record lists births, marriages, and deaths in the Raymond family. It pays special tribute to George Raymond; a poem stitched in the lower-right column suggests that he died as a child. The work was sewn by Harriot Augusta Raymond—who may have been George’s sibling—when she was 11 years old. The fine black thread used to stitch early family records is often the first material to deteriorate. The iron in the black dyes reacts strongly to light and environmental conditio...