"Martha Gazley, late from Great Britain, now in the city of New York Makes and Teacheth the following curious Works, viz: Artificial Fruit and Flowers and other Wax-Works, Nuns-work, Philligree and Pencil Work upon Muslin, all sorts of Needle-Work, and Raising of Paste, as also to Paint upon Glass, and Transparant for Sconces, with other Works. If any young Gentlewomen, or others are inclined to learn any or all of the above-mentioned curious Works, they may be carefully instructed in the same by said Martha Gazley." [Illustration: Flowered Apron] The waxwork of Martha Gazley was more fully detailed in a school advertisement of Mrs. Sarah Wilson of Philadelphia. She taught "waxworks in all its branches"; flowers, fruit, and pin-baskets, also "how to take profiles in wax." This latter was distinctly art work; and portraits of Washington and other Revolutionary heroes still exist in wax--a material that could be worked with facility; but was very perishable. [Illustration: Mary Richards' Sampler] A very full list of old-time stitches has come down to us, and curiously enough not from any woman who worked these stitches but from the pen of a man, John Taylor, "the Water-Poet," in his _Praise of the Needle_, 1640. "For _Tent-worke_, Rais'd-work, Laid-worke, Frost-worke, Net-worke, Most curious Purles, or rare Italian Cut-worke, Fine Ferne-stitch, Finny-stitch, New-stitch and Chain-stitch Brave Bred-stitch, Fisher-stitch, Irish-stitch and Queen-stitch The Spanish-stitch, Rosemary-stitch and Mouse-stitch The smarting Whip-stitch, Back-stitch and the Cross-stitch All these are good, and these we must allow, And these are everywhere in practise now." They were doubtless "everywhere in practice," in America as well, but nearly all are now but empty names. While Dutch women must be awarded the palm of comfortable and attractive housekeeping, they did not excel Englishwomen in needlework; though the first gold thimble was made for Madam Van Rensselaer, the foremother of our American patroons; and many beautiful specimens of Dutch embroidery exist. A sample is here shown which was worked by Mary Richards, a granddaughter of the famous Anneke Jans. Mrs. Van Cortlandt wrote in her delightful account of home life in old New York:-- "Crewel-work and silk-embroidery were fashionable, and surprisingly pretty effects were produced. Every little maiden had her sampler which she begun with the alphabet and numerals, following them with a Scriptural text or verse of a psalm. Then fancy was let loose on birds, beasts and trees. Most of the old families possessed framed pieces of embroidery, the handiwork of female ancestors."