Charming family sampler of the Hammond family, wealthy merchants from London, embroidered by Ada Louise Hammond- their first daughter
The sampler, red cross stitch on cream ground, bound in red silk piping and mounted on a red ground.
Featuring the first seven children born to Edmund Rowland Hammond and Emma Louise Hammond nee Fry,
Two more children, Charlie ( 1870) and Emma (1871) were born to the couple after the sampler's completion.
Towards the end of the century five of the children emigrated to Australia, New Zealand and Canada
There is a fascinating history of the family compiled by Christopher Fry, 20th century British playwright and descendant of the family. Emma, the ninth child, was his mother.
The book is called- 'CAN YOU FIND ME' published 1978 and this sampler is sold with a copy of this book
Written with the aid of letters, diaries and photographs, his account begins in 1849 with the meeting and subsequent marriage of Edmund Hammond and Emma Fry (His grandmother, who's surname he took) and tells the story of the children and their interwoven lives.
Fry also purchased a collection of the work by Charlie who was a well known Australian artist and photographer in late 19th/ early 20th century Melbourne.
This collection was donated to the State Library in Victoria, where there is now a large archive.
A website- CHARLIE HAMMOND -Artist and Photographer of Melbourne Australia has been compiled by Kae Lewis, great granddaughter of Helen Shrabner Staveley (nee Hammond) and Robert Jones Staveley 
This website has supplied much of the information here.
 
Condition: Good. Some age related specks on the canvas 
 
Dimensions: Height 33cm, width 33cm, depth 2cm