The Sampler
Title: All to Myself I Think of You Sampler
Date: c. 1973 (Turner Wall Accessory)
Medium: Printed cross-stitch–style needlework on linen, with hand-finishing details
Frame: Original Turner Mfg. Co. wood frame with gold inner border, under glass
Label: Original Turner Wall Accessory label (Item 1317 G659 Samplers), inspected and dated February 14, 1973
Inscription: “Feb. 14, Happy Birthday 1973, Connie” handwritten on backing paper
About the Work
This piece was produced by the Turner Manufacturing Company, one of America’s most prolific makers of decorative art and framed wall accessories in the mid-20th century. Known for producing mirrors, prints, and needlework-inspired samplers, Turner pieces were sold through department and furniture stores nationwide.
The sampler features a nostalgic Victorian-inspired design with a horse-drawn carriage at top, a domestic needlework scene below, and a sentimental poem at the center. The border uses repeating geometric motifs in soft blues and reds, in keeping with the mid-century revival of 19th-century domestic craft styles.
All to myself I think of you—
Think of the things we used to do.
Think of the things we used to say,
Think of each happy yesterday.
Sometimes I sigh and sometimes I smile,
But I keep each olden, golden while
All to myself.
Historical Context
The Turner Mfg. Co. of Chicago was active from the 1940s through the 1970s and became the largest U.S. producer of framed wall décor during its peak. Their designs often reinterpreted earlier artistic traditions—such as Victorian samplers, pastoral prints, and Rococo-style mirrors—for a modern suburban audience.
This piece, clearly labeled and dated, is part of Turner’s “Sampler” line of wall accessories. Unlike entirely hand-made 19th-century samplers, these were partially machine-produced and then hand-finished to achieve the textured look of traditional cross-stitch.
The personal inscription on the back suggests this piece was given as a birthday gift in 1973, adding both provenance and human connection.