Very Naive 19th Century New England Alphabet Sampler with Zig Zag on (Equally Expressive) Homespun tattooed woman which I am guessing indicates

which I am guessing indicates this was either painted at or previously owned by Wellesley College

and the interior is lined in birch bark as well

What a great

perhaps covering earlier versions--original to it I am sure

My guess is that this piece dates to the second half of the 19th century--based both upon looking at a lot of other wooden pull toys

Very Naive 19th Century New England Alphabet Sampler with Zig Zag on (Equally Expressive) Homespun tattooed woman which I am guessing indicatesSo many different sorts of samplers to love, for different reasons. As far as alphabet samplers go (simple ones like this are also called marking samplers), I see a lot of lovely early examples around New England, with precisely embroidered, densely packed letters marching along perfectly straight lines, and I do very much admire them. But much less often do I come across an example as naive, and so, as expressive, as this one. And I think small ones