Description: I’m offering for sale in this listing, a rare and one-of-a-kind item. It is a small memorial stitched with thread on brown perforated paper and mounted in a mid-19th century black French passé-partout frame. Memorials of this small size and sewn in perforated paper are not seen very often, but what makes this so desirable and collectible is the fact that it comes handed down to us from the family of author Mark Twain’s beloved wife, Olivia Langdon. The memorial features a stitched weeping willow bending over a gravestone that has an urn atop it. Some grass and flowers stitched beside the monument finish the scene, and the name B. LANGDON is stitched below in large letters. There is some glue residue at the top edge of the paper frame. The frame is a sturdy French style black pressed and embossed paper frame called “passé-partout”. It measures 6” x 5 3/4”. A special, one-of-a-kind piece from a local upstate NY historic family , the area is often referred to as the Finger Lakes area in South Western NY, not far from PA. Until last spring I had lived in upstate NY my whole life. Elmira NY was 45 miles away and it was in Elmira that Olivia Langdon was born and grew up quite comfortably in a large house on 413 Lake St. The house no longer stands, but Elmira celebrates its connection to the wealthy Langdon and Twain families. Both Mark Twain & his wife are buried in a large cemetery in Elmira and there is a small museum dedicated to him in the city. The reason I was able to buy this piece many, many years ago is because of the Langdon/Twain connections to the area. I hope this ends up with someone with an interest in the Twain or Langdon families or with an Elmira NY interest. It has been said that Twain fell in love at first sight with Olivia. Thank you for taking the time to visit my listing. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to message me; I’m always very happy to help! Please consider adding me to your favorite sellers list.
Price: 78 USD
Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
End Time: 2024-12-01T01:30:01.000Z
Shipping Cost: 10 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Artist: Langdon Family Member
Unit of Sale: Single Piece
Signed By: Member of Langdon Family
Size: Small
Item Length: 5 3/4"
Region of Origin: Northeastern United States
Framing: Framed in embossed passe-partout black frame
Personalize: Yes
Year of Production: 2nd or 3rd quarter 19th Century
Original/Licensed Reproduction: Original
Item Height: 6 in
Style: Victorian
Features: One of a Kind (OOAK), embroidery on perforated paper/passe-partout frame
Unit Quantity: one
Culture: American Victorian
Handmade: Yes
Item Width: n/a
Signed: Yes
Title: n/a
Period: Victorian (1830-1900)
Material: Paper
Certificate of Authenticity (COA): No
Subject: Family
California Prop 65 Warning: n/a
Type: Mourning Art
COA Issued By: n/a
Theme: Famous Family Elmira New York Memorial Framed, Domestic & Family Life, Famous Places, History, Politics, Social History
Time Period Manufactured: 1850-1899
Production Technique: embroidery
Country/Region of Manufacture: USA
Personalization Instructions: n/a
