Hand towel, plain-weave linen, elaborately decorated with blue and red cotton cross stitch as well as drawn thread panels. Hanging tabs are plain-weave linen tape, 3/8" wide and very long.
Panel #1 has "MARIA" at the top flanked by large floral trees growing out of hearts. Second line reads: "MACDALLNA DAMY" and 3rd line is: "MY HAND AND NWEDLE." Below are 5 large tree motifs grounded on a horizontal embroidered line, followed by 8 small grounded trees.
Panel #2 is a drawn thread panel w/ cotton darn-stitched designs. Drawn threads stop short of sides -- unusual.
Panel # 3 has five blue and red motifs: star at center flanked by crowned peacocks, in turn flanked by geometric motifs.
Panel # 4 is a tripartite design: center has "HF" within an ornately embroidered red and blue heart, flanked by drawn thread panels w/ cotton darn-stitched trees surmounted by birds. (Initials stand for future husband Henry Fenstermacher, married the following year,1837.)
Panel #5 is very similar to panel #3.
Panel #6 is another drawn thread panel stopping short of sides, decorated w/ cotton darn-stitched geometric designs.
Panel #7 has upper case alphabet ending with the date 1836.
Panel #8 has three lines: "CHRISTOPHER/ DAMY CATHARINE/ DAMY A D 1836." (parents)
Plain self fringe at bottom has an applied short panel of linen with an elaborate knotted self fringe.
Made by Maria/Mary Magdalena Demmy (1811-1884).
Seller pinned on a note stating the mate to this towel (made by sister Elizabeth) was sold in the Rich and Joan Smith sale for $2400, inventory # CB29. Both towels illustrated in This is the Way I Pass My Time, p. 31.
Note: Older sister Maria/Mary Demmy's taufschein is P.06.15.1.
