I apologise for the image quality, I wasn't able to get a better picture but any insights would be appreciated.
This sampler was made by my ancestor, a woman named "Willemke Ritskes", living in Teerns, Friesland or surroundings. In 1791 she was 13 years old. At the top right she stitched the year and also her name, but that is almost illegible as it's in yellow thread on a yellowish background. I would very much like to find out the meaning behind some of the symbols. Also, what does it say about her and her family's status or wealth that she made this sampler?
Thanks in advance!
Well, the first three lines look to be primarily the alphabet (albeit "I" and "J" are identical, and leaves off Q, U, X, Y, and Z). The rest of the sampler looks like standard decorations - trees, plants, animals, little elfin figures, a ship at the bottom sandwiched between a large W and R (there are some other Ws and Rs in the sample too - her initials?) The line of small characters beneath the trees to the upper left of the ship is hard to make out - and appears either to have been stitched backwards (in which case those are r's and w's) or upside down and backwards (in which case those are L's and M's - Roman numerals? Doesn't seem to make much sense as a date.)
