Nashville, Davidson Co.

Tennessee State Museum, Nashville

Anne Champe Orr (1869-1947), a Nashville native, began her career as the art editor for Southern Women’s Magazine in 1913. She produced her own needlework and quilt patterns under the name Anne Orr Design Studio. Anne very determinedly did not do needlework herself; she hired local women to produce models of her designs. These inexpensive black and white booklets were printed in Nashville and sold throughout the United States via mail order. She established partnerships with the thread manufacturers J&P Coats, Clark Thread Company, and the American Thread and Spool Company.

She became the needlework editor for Good Housekeeping, which gave her national exposure. Many of her patterns are still in print, available through Dover Publishing Company.

This boxed gift set dates from 1953, after Ann Champe Orr’s death. The text reads:

SAMPLER
CARDS
by Ann Orr
FOR YOUNG FINGERS
Box Contains
Five Sampler Cards * Six Hanks of Floss
A Tapestry Needle * Illustrated Instructions

The designs are printed on perforated paper. The floss is from J&P Coats. The cards range in size from 2 ½” V x 6 H” to 6 H” x 7 ¼ V”.