In 1923, Norman Rockwell visited Trinity Place School in New Rochelle, New York, in search of fresh material and new models. When he saw graduate student Carolina A. Ciancio, he hired her on the spot to pose for a painting inspired by a cross-stitch sampler made by a 15-year-old girl a century years prior.
The painting, The Sampler, appeared on the cover of the March 1, 1924, issue of The Saturday Evening Post and its whereabouts have been unknown ever since. Until now. On October 25, The Sampler will hit the market as part of Shapiro Auction’s Autumn Fine Arts & Objects Auction. It has a pre-sale estimate of $200,000 to $300,000.
Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), The Sampler, 1923, cover illustration for the Saturday Evening Post, March 1, 1924 issue. Oil on canvas, 28 x 22 in. Estimate: $200/300,000
When the painting resurfaced, it was discovered that Rockwell had given The Sampler to Ciancio after it had served the Post’s purposes. The painting remained in her family to the present day. Ciancio appeared in at least three other Rockwell paintings: The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter for the cover of The Literary Digest in 1923; Bobbing for Apples, an advertisement for Valspar paints; and The Model, which was published on the cover a 1924 issue of The Saturday Evening Post.
The Sampler can be viewed in person at Shapiro Auctions location in Bedford Hills, New York. For more information about the piece and the other lots in the house’s Autumn Fine Arts & Objects Auction visit www.shapiroauctions.com. —
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