Provenance

This "fraktur"-style artifact was made for my maternal great, great, great grandmother Mary Fisher BOWEN (b. 1781 - d. 1850, St. Clair, Bedford Co., PA). by her itinerant schoolmaster, Hugh PUGH (b. 1747/48 Uwchlan, Chester Co., PA - d. aft. 1807, place unknown).

Date: December 9th, 1801
Medium: Brown writing inks; red, green, brown watercolor
Support: Laid paper
Size (H x W) 12-3/4" sq.

Mary FISHER's (maiden) name appears four times within the text.
Hugh PUGH's monogram -- "H Pugh" -- appears twice.

English text interwoven, (partial) transposed from the Knot

A true Lovers Knot to thee my Dear I send, An Emblem of true Love without an end, Crossing turning, winding in and out, Never ceasing turning round about. And as thee sees its Linkes and Crosses here, so hath thy Beauty prov'd to me a Snare, By observation of true Love I find I am bereaved of both heart and mind.

Most lovely fair one look with pity down, And do not on thy faithful Lover frown, But pardon him who ever doth thy Love desire, And ever will thy Beauteous form admire.

Therefore thou Lovely fair one let thy Beauty shine, With Beams of Comfort ravishing and divine, That so my raving Soul may by thy Love, Pass into Bliss if we both constant prove, Then shall these Crosses in this Knot of Love, Be all disdain'd if thou consenting prove.

Here is an Impression of my heart thee may see, Within this Knot that I present, to thee, Therefore thee may imagine that I am in grief, And none but thee can yield to me Relief, My ravished Soul doth ever long to see, The Marriage Knot so firmly ty'd between thee and me.