1822 Pluma H. Ralph Much Aged But Very Tender Alphabet Sampler totem shaped letter opener A mock up for a

A mock up for a school yearbook or a teacher's aid for memorizing the names of students

from Vienna

parenthetically described as chimney sweeps--with the hand-written quote on the back of the paper making one wonder whether the drawing portrays friends or lovers lost

as here the wood ducks are numbered 1

wearing seersucker and pastel colored suits--and I think likely have a proper English garden

1822 Pluma H. Ralph Much Aged But Very Tender Alphabet Sampler totem shaped letter opener A mock up for aAs you probably probably know by now, my inclinations lean toward rescuing and retrieving things that might not otherwise be readily appreciated, as might be said for this sampler, of a Pluma H. Ralph, dated March 22, 1822, just about exactly 200 year ago. It was in part the year of its making that felt significant to me, as if calling across time to be re considered at this moment, and also her name, calling to mind peacocks and plums, which also