AFA Winter 2017

she built up the surface, creating a three-dimensional canvas upon which she worked the shades of skin and textiles. Directional stitches animate forms and enhance the illusion of depth. She wrought the initials M. A. in the lower right quadrant of the needlework and attached a now torn label to the back, with the handwritten text “William Penn’s Treaty with the Indians/Done by/M ___sell/ M___ of the Boarding School/ Lordship Lane Tottenham/ Middlesex.” Fortunately, the label of the London framer, James Gough, also remains on the reverse (Fig. 2). It was the initials M. A. and the James Gough label that brought to light the connection between Winterthur’s needlework painting and an interpretation of Benjamin West’s The Death of General Wolfe in worsted wool, now in the collection of the Deerfield Museum, which shares these features (Fig. 3). The works are also linked by the artist’s technique, including her careful selection of stitches to imitate brushstrokes, the modeling of facial features, and the incorporation of raised elements. The existence of two identically framed needlework pictures, each based on popular works by West and with the same initials, suggests they were intended for exhibition together. As many exhibition catalogues have been digitized, a search for the pair was quickly rewarded. The 1776 Society of Artists of Great Britain catalogue lists the two as the work of “M. Ansell,” a name that perfectly completes the torn information on the handwritten note, referenced above, which survives on the reverse of the Winterthur example (Fig. 4). Ansell exhibited once more, in 1780, and was referred to as being “at the Boarding School, Tottenham.” A 1782 newspaper notice for the estate of “Miss Margaret Ansell” and the contents of her boarding school in Tottenham further clarifies the artist’s identity. 2 Although we do not know a great deal about her career or working practice, subtle details indicate that Margaret Ansell may have studied both of Benjamin West’s original paintings as well as subsequent engravings to accomplish her needlework pictures. 3 In size and orientation, Ansell’s interpretation of West’s Wolfe and Penn’s Treaty match the engraved versions. John Hall’s 1775 engraving of Penn’s Treaty flips the original composition while William Woolett’s 1776 Wolfe does not, and Ansell chose to follow the orientation of both prints. 4 The degree of correlation between the original colors and the yarns selected, however, indicate a strong familiarity with the painted originals rather than only the engravings. Light damage has taken an especially hard toll on certain blue and green threads, leaving both works with a decidedly golden cast, but the red has survived well. Small red wool details that relate to Wolfe , including the fringe on the left-most figure’s leggings and the trim on the Native American figure’s robe, correspond perfectly with West’s original painting. The accuracy of the color choices indicates the works could indeed have been rendered in part from in-person examination of West’s paintings, which were displayed at the Royal Academy and remained in London during the engraving process. Margaret Ansell was one of eight artists (all female) who submitted a total of thirteen needlework pictures to the 1776 Society of Artists Exhibition, held at the Society’s Academy on the Strand in London. The eight artists were M. Ansell (Margaret Ansell), Miss Meredith, a “lady at Mrs. Marshall’s Boarding School, Wandsworth,” Miss Secombe, Miss Hinton, Miss Brewer, Mrs. Hannah Linwood, and Miss Mar y Linwood. The needlework artists had a rapidly dwindling number of venues that Winter 126 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com Fig. 2: Backboard with labels for picture in figure 1. Photograph by James Schneck. Fig. 3: Margaret Ansell (n. d.), The Death of General Wolfe, needlework picture, 1771–1776, Tottenham, Middlesex, England. Worsted wool, silk, canvas. Historic Deerfield collection (HD66.198z).