Much of Sapiel's N Inft' Cuff
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a1 3Z @ CAROLYN BROWN The following photographs are a pictorial history of the Brown family?s hand-made wedding gowns. PHOTO 1: Annie Kingman Wilbur Remick and Seneca Remiclg Carolyn Brown's grandparents, are pictured with Brown's mother, Ruth Remick Haseltine. Mrs. Remick's homemade wedding dress (not pictured) is a treasured family heirloom. PHOTO 2: Ruth Remick Haseltine and Ernest Haseltine on their wedding day, September 26,IE22. Mrs. Haseltine is wearing her hand-made wedding dress which is featured in the exhibit. PHOTO 3: Carolyn Haseltine Brown and Howard Brown with their wedding party on July 26, 1942. Brown made her gown and the gowns of her attendants. PHOTO 4: Marilee Brown Contois and Paul Contois on their wedding day, June 16, 1989. Brown made two of her three daughters' wedding gowns. PHOTO 5: Ronald Synder and Analesa Palma Synder who is wearing the gown made by her grandmother, Carolyn Brown. The Synders were married October 14,1989. BARB^A.RA MERRY BOULTER Hooked Rug (1992) Barbara Merry Boulter "Sandford Place" Swanville "sandford Place" is Boulter's most recent work. This rug depicts the farm in East Newport where Boulter spent several of her childhood years. The figures represent her parents and siblings. JENNIFER SAPIEL Cuff (19th century) Much of Sapiel's n inft' manshig of lrel Penobscot ancestors. Sapiel us ho igns ana technical aspects of beadwork found i cuff Museum's permanent collection, was used in installation c"r"monies for Penobscot governors. Wza'732 Barbara Merry Boulter PhOtO CaptiOnl Barbara Meny Boulter hooking a rug on a frame which she constructed. Her rugs are drawn on burlap with a felt tip marker. "l just sketch right onto the burlap. I iust kind of relax, and drow iust natural. I can tike my needle ond straighten rny rnistakes out better with a hooking needle that I can with a magic marker. If you s,ee one o-f my patteris that I've sketched, it won't look the same when I get done because I always mnke it look better when I'm hooking-" Artifacts: 1. Hooked Rug 1989 Knox, Me. "The Four Seasons" Earbara r4errY 6ovl*Q( This rug draws upon scenes from Boulter's life to represent the four r""ronJin Maine. The buildings are typical of old Maine farms. "I like the ideas of putting atl the places down that might be gone fro^ here, you know, disappearing. I like old houses, and alot of them are going and being torn down. And I just like the idea of leaving something behind after I'm gone that I hope will outlive me-" Z. Hooked Rug 1992 Knox, Me. "Henrv and Barbara Boulter" tsarbam- Aecn Eout *cr' Boulter was widoried from Henry Boulter in 1992. The rug depicts a shed which Henry built to store her rug materials. Not long after the rug was completed, Boulter became gravely ill. "l went and put the building on a rug for hirn, and put him and rne looking on it since we buih iI together. When I got it done, I hung il up over his hospital bed. And ..he told somebody, "l built the building, and she hooked the rug'." c-F-o6lf)ra H v-z Bo*lttv P. L a73Z 3. Hooked Rug 1978 Swanville, Me. *lffiff?,Ef#"sJ" t*e{ The late John Merry, Jr. was Boulter's second husband. A part-time antiques dealer and fish seller, Merry encouraged his wife to pursue rug hooliing. This rug depicts the house in Swanville where they lived, and where Boulter resides today. The figures represent the couple. "Most oJ my ideas ore back when I was youn7. A lot of the early places. And then afier I met John Merry, Jr-, I got a lot of ideas when I went on the fish route with him beause a lot of this customers were interesting PeoPle.tt e1 32- W Barbara Merry Boulter Swanville Primil.ive hooked rugs Personal History iiar'oara Cordon I-ittlelield l'{errv Boulrer nras born March 14. lciZ? in Hampden, Mairie. She is the chrld of Gertrutle S'i;lvester Cortion (burn ancl rai-secl in ihe Belfa.stlSearsport areal antl Charles Gorclon iborn ancl raiseri in Hampden). idrs. Boulter has one brother and three sisrers. iv{r. (lordon was a dairYman, and his familv rnor,'ed several t.imes in rhe hope rhar he wrLuld secure better emplo,v6enr. The Gordon family lirretl on Long Islancl, in Conneticut. fuiarizland and i\,Taine. When Mrs. Bouher \vas seven, her iarher r*'as diagnosed with cancer, and the familv retllrned to i\4aine lvlrs. Boulter attended sel'eral schools while living with vari()us relatives {in iriewport, Searsport and N'1ar-r,'lanrl) to atLend high school. There vas not a high school in Etna where her parents lived, thus ltlrs. Boulter boarclecl with family members to complete her education. ln l94Lr, N{rs. Boulter grailuated from Newpurt High Schor-rl. After graduation, she u'orkecl in Biclcleforcl at the Thatcher Hotel as an assistant to the baker anil tli-ch nrasher, ancl cle'anecl cabins for Christy's Camps in East Nervport. &irs. Boulter has been married rhree times. Her firsr marriage iai age 20) was [o Edward Franklin Littlefield (of Newport]. a farmer, who was nineteerr ),'ears lv1rs. Boulter's senior and the Gordon's n(lt{.t dr)or nr}ighbor. Togt'=,ther, they y126 lour children--Douglas, Edward, Nanc-v- and Sarah. The Littlefield's were married for nine and a half l.'ears. Mrs. Boulter said that when she ended her marriage, she took the chilclrerr ancl trvo shopping bags ol clothirrg As a single mother, Mrs. Boulter took various jobs to support her lamilv including working r.rn farms in Fairtietcl and Knox At the age of fortv. I,1rs. Boulrer marriecl .lohn \lerry. lr. uf Swarrsville They had one son, John, and were married lor tu;eni';"'-Lhree years until Mr. hlerrlt'5 death. h'lr. Merry rlias an antique dealer and retail fisn man. Manv of his customers would later supFlv inspiration for il{rs Boulter's rugs. Mrs. Bottlter met her third husbancl. William Henry Bor.rlter (a ttrircl cousirr oi J<-rhn l\iterry't, a [ew rnonlhs a[ter her second husband s rleath. Introctucecl bV ctiusirts at a famiiv reunron. the Buulters scuil rrrarricd arlti $icte. togethr.r [oi tuio and a half \,'ears. llr. Buuliei passeci a\va\,'erarlier this r,'ear il.'lrs. Btiulter q.,'as siri','-se\ren at the time u[ her thircl marriagrt. Aiter it4r. Boirlrer s death.:Vrs. Bolilter rnoye(i li^crn thcir^ home in Kno:i back to 473'L W Su'anr.'iile. She hacl retained ulner-qhip of the house that she rlnce shareti wiLh lohu tr'leri1', ancl -che ma[:es her ltome their loday. Since returning to Su'anville, Nirs. Boulter continuer^'to remain bus,v hot"rking rugs, collecting anriques ancl visiting with her !-uirrtec'n granclchildren and f ive great -gran dchilclren. Rug lloolcing N{rs Boulter began hooking rugs o\,;er lwent1:-5s\:en 1"sn;5 ago. Her claughter, Nancl', encouraged ir{rs. Bor"rlter to fincl a hobb\'. Nancv attempted to teach her mother to knit and crirchet, but it n'as tti no avail. lv{rs Boulter ccrmplained about having to follorv clirectiorrs. She then bought a couple ol hookecl rug kits, brut was once again, was frustrated hy the pre-packaged ilirecrions. I\rlrs. Boulter began drarving rough designs on old grain bags to create her onrrr rug patterns. She hatl troughl a couple of crld hocrked rugs to accompany her growing coltection o[ antiques. Because the antique rugs \\rere quite costlv, hooking her own rugs q/as yet another incentirte for N{rs. Boulter to clesign and hr-rr-rk her owrr rugs. In 1988. Mrs. Boulter began to sell her rugs. Her husband, John N{erry, insisterl that lt' she was to continue to make rugs, she wouid have to sell some to support her encleavors- Doug Kingsley, an antique tJealer from New Hampshire. $/as the first person to buy one of Mrs. Boulter's rugs. He purchasecl the first rug she hacl macle for $40. The rug was fifteen years old ancl tattered vith holes. Mrs. Bouiler's rugs were soon beinfl bought by many area clealers anrJ solcl regionally to other dealers, collectors and tourists. Mrs. Bouiter originally solcl rugs for $11-$20 with larger ones rerailing ar $100. George Kvber of Fernciale, i\,iichigan bought one ol fulrs. Boulter's rug which had been signed. Barbara E. tr'Ierry. Srvanriille, tulaine. fulr. Kyber thought he had cliscoverecl an aniique rug made by an Atrician-American rug huoker. His research began in -in,anville. and he suon disc<-rvered that Barbara Merrv was alive anc{ still hooking rugs. This leacl [r: his article in Mairre Antique Digest vhich introducecl rearlers to Mrs. Boulter and her hooked rugs. Mrs. Boulter continues to keep in rolrch rvith Mr. Kvher rrncl lvlr. Kinglev rvho both erc(rurage anrl suppc.rrt her tlrawing and rug h<.rol-ing. Often the rLtgs that l"{rs. Boulter sells arer therr re-solcl fOr profit. She once sold a rug to her sister-in-larv icrr $100 who then re-solcl the rug for $1,100 Another time, she scrlcl her nephew a rug for $1,100 tr;ho re-sold lhe rLlg lor 2-737_ -o;TrffiVtv $2.000 It $/asn't lring until the art rvoriil began [o take norice of XIrs.