Mary Austen's Mid 19th C. Alphabet Sampler with Many Birds hand-painted toy Photos don't quite do justice

Photos don't quite do justice to this one--getting enough light on the painting blows out the gold of the frame

plastic 1 3/8" t

with what appear to be small losses to a couple of fingers

This to me very much has the ethereal and otherworldly qualities of a daguerreotype of a painted portrait

Rank badges (also called rank insignia or Mandarin squares) were used in China during the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties to demonstrate the wearer's rank

Mary Austen's Mid 19th C. Alphabet Sampler with Many Birds hand-painted toy Photos don't quite do justiceA few losses to this one on the border, and to a couple of numbers but I really love those birds lined up in a row facing in the same direction, and another pair facing each other at the foot of a large tree. Signed by a Mary Austen, and my guess is that the "54" at center right is the year. I like samplers that roll a bunch of things together in what feels like an improvisatory sort of way, and this is very much one of those. 11" x 7 1 8". A bit of