Mary Sheppard Burton Collection
type: FindingAid
type: Document
description: Catalog Record: http://lccn.loc.gov/2007700232
conforms to: General International Standard for Archival Description
publisher: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
encoded as: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection
topic: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection1993-2006
subject: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection1993-2006
has part: Biographical History for: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection1993-2006
topic: Manuscript Materials
subject: Manuscript Materials
topic: Finding Aid (This document)
subject: Finding Aid (This document)
topic: “Footsteps on History, Tell Me ‘Bout Series: Family Portraits.”
subject: “Footsteps on History, Tell Me ‘Bout Series: Family Portraits.”
topic: Photograph Log: PH01-PH25
subject: Photograph Log: PH01-PH25
topic: Graphic Images
subject: Graphic Images
topic: Photographs and Negatives: PH01-PH25
subject: Photographs and Negatives: PH01-PH25
topic: Artifacts
subject: Artifacts
topic: Rug 1. When Pa Was Young - Skating the Bay
subject: Rug 1. When Pa Was Young - Skating the Bay
topic: Rug 2. When Pa Was Young - The Tool Fetcher
subject: Rug 2. When Pa Was Young - The Tool Fetcher
topic: Rug 3. The Secret Place
subject: Rug 3. The Secret Place
topic: Rug 4. Strawberry Capital of the World
subject: Rug 4. Strawberry Capital of the World
topic: Rug 5. When Dad Was Two
subject: Rug 5. When Dad Was Two
topic: Rug 6. The Bushel Basket Hat
subject: Rug 6. The Bushel Basket Hat
topic: Rug 7. A Chicken in Every Pot
subject: Rug 7. A Chicken in Every Pot
topic: Rug 8. Fox Hunting at Sycamore Hollow
subject: Rug 8. Fox Hunting at Sycamore Hollow
topic: Rug 9. Chicken Fishin’
subject: Rug 9. Chicken Fishin’
topic: Rug 10. The First Meals on Wheels
subject: Rug 10. The First Meals on Wheels
topic: Rug 11. Day’s End on the Sinepuxent Bay
subject: Rug 11. Day’s End on the Sinepuxent Bay
topic: Rug 12. When Mom was Wee, Mary Sheppard Burton’s Story
subject: Rug 12. When Mom was Wee, Mary Sheppard Burton’s Story
topic: Moving Images
subject: Moving Images
topic: Tape 1 of 2
subject: Tape 1 of 2
topic: Tape 2 of 2
subject: Tape 2 of 2
topic: Tape of Mary Burton talking about her rugs. June 8, 2000.
subject: Tape of Mary Burton talking about her rugs. June 8, 2000.

General International Standard for Archival Description
type: Standard

Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
type: Repository
type: Organization
type: Agent
country code: US
maintenance agency code: US-DLC
is publisher of: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection
administers: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
provides access to: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection1993-2006
provides access to: Manuscript Materials
provides access to: Finding Aid (This document)
provides access to: “Footsteps on History, Tell Me ‘Bout Series: Family Portraits.”
provides access to: Photograph Log: PH01-PH25
provides access to: Graphic Images
provides access to: Photographs and Negatives: PH01-PH25
provides access to: Artifacts
provides access to: Rug 1. When Pa Was Young - Skating the Bay
provides access to: Rug 2. When Pa Was Young - The Tool Fetcher
provides access to: Rug 3. The Secret Place
provides access to: Rug 4. Strawberry Capital of the World
provides access to: Rug 5. When Dad Was Two
provides access to: Rug 6. The Bushel Basket Hat
provides access to: Rug 7. A Chicken in Every Pot
provides access to: Rug 8. Fox Hunting at Sycamore Hollow
provides access to: Rug 9. Chicken Fishin’
provides access to: Rug 10. The First Meals on Wheels
provides access to: Rug 11. Day’s End on the Sinepuxent Bay
provides access to: Rug 12. When Mom was Wee, Mary Sheppard Burton’s Story
provides access to: Moving Images
provides access to: Tape 1 of 2
provides access to: Tape 2 of 2
provides access to: Tape of Mary Burton talking about her rugs. June 8, 2000.

Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
type: SpatialThing
is administered by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home

Mary Sheppard Burton Collection
type: EAD
type: Document
description: Encoded by Valda Morris-Slack, February 2011
created: February 2011
conforms to: Encoded Archival Description
conforms to: Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
encoding of: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection

Encoded Archival Description
type: Standard

Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
type: Standard

Mary Sheppard Burton Collection1993-2006
type: ArchivalResource
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: collection
identifier: AFC 2006/005
extent: 3 folders of manuscript material including 1 pamphlet (12 p.)
extent: 12 hooked rugs : hand-dyed wool on 12-thread count linen ; circa 45 x 69 in. and smaller
extent: 3 VHS videocassettes: sound, color; 1/2 in.
extent: 1 folder of 25 4 x 6 in. color photographic prints and negatives
language: eng
origination: Burton, Mary Sheppard
has biographical history: Biographical History for: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection1993-2006
acquisitions: Acquisition The twelve hooked rugs were donated to the American Folklife Center by Mary Sheppard Burton on March 2, 2006.
scopecontent: Scope and Content The collection consists of twelve rugs hooked with hand-dyed wool on 12-thread-count linen titled the Tell Me ‘Bout Series created by Mary Sheppard Burton from Germantown, Maryland. The rugs, which were created between 1993 and 2005, depict stories of rural life and historical events experienced by different members of Burton’s family. These stories, some of which have been passed down for generations, include scenes of life on the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding areas in Maryland. Burton retold this family history as bedtime stories for her four children. She designed and made this series of hooked rugs which artistically retold the stories. Color photographs of Mary Sheppard Burton with American Folklife Center director Peggy A. Bulger were taken by David A. Taylor in 2006. Burton was interviewed at her home by Theadocia Austen and Carl Lindahl, circa 2001. During the interview Burton gave a tour of her house, describing the history of the various rooms and the many pieces of art on display throughout her house.
access restrictions: Access The manuscripts, photographs, and reference copies of videotapes MV01 and MV02 are available upon request in the Folklife Reading Room. MV03 is damaged and unplayable. The original hooked rugs are stored offsite for preservation. Consult reference staff in the Folklife Reading Room about viewing the rugs. As of Febrary 2011, two rugs from the collection are on display in the American Folklife Center in the Jefferson Building: Rug 3, The Secret Place, and Rug 10, First Meals on Wheels. The entire series of rugs can be viewed on the American Folklife website at http://www.loc.gov/folklife/msburton/index.html. Copyright restrictions apply.
other finding aids: http://lccn.loc.gov/2007700232
type: Aggregation
type: Collection
has part: Manuscript Materials
aggregates: Manuscript Materials
has part: Graphic Images
aggregates: Graphic Images
has part: Artifacts
aggregates: Artifacts
has part: Moving Images
aggregates: Moving Images

collection
type: Level
type: Concept

3 folders of manuscript material including 1 pamphlet (12 p.)
type: Extent
label: 12 hooked rugs : hand-dyed wool on 12-thread count linen ; circa 45 x 69 in. and smaller
label: 3 vhs videocassettes: sound, color; 1/2 in.
label: 1 folder of 25 4 x 6 in. color photographic prints and negatives

Burton, Mary Sheppard
type: Agent
is origination of: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection1993-2006

Biographical History for: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection1993-2006
type: BiographicalHistory
type: Document
type: DocumentPart
body: Biographical History Mary Sheppard Burton was born in 1922 in Salisbury, Maryland. Burton, who became a textile artist and teacher, was no stranger to the art as a child since both her great grandmother and grandmother were rug hookers. From 1973 to 1988 Burton taught classes on designing, dyeing, color theory, hook art and traditional hooking techniques at various schools and colleges throughout the United States. Occasionally Burton also taught private classes at her home in Maryland. Her students were diverse, from ninth-grade students to adults as well as the mentally challenged. The individuals who studied under Burton were not only based in the United States but also came from England and Israel. During this period she lectured extensively and exhibited her pieces throughout the United States, Canada, and Japan. Burton was instrumental in developing the guidelines and standards for rug hooking and judging hooked rugs at local and international competitions. In 1981, Burton’s dedication and love for the art led her to research the hand dyeing of textiles and the color retention of dyes by experimenting with vegetable dyes used by earlier generations. She experimented with the different effects that light has upon yarn. Burton used dyeing techniques that were not commonly used by textile artists. Burton studied the historical origins of rug hooking, starting her research at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, continuing at the Textile Museum in Canada in 1996, and in Nova Scotia in 1997. In 1994, Burton co-founded the International Guild of Hand-hooked Rug Makers (TIGHER) and in 1996 was awarded an antique pewter loving cup for outstanding devotion and service to the organization. For her outstanding accomplishments in the art, Mary Sheppard Burton has received many awards. She was the first non-Canadian recipient of two of the highest awards given by the Ontario Hooking Craft Guild: Best in Show for Creativity and Craftsmanship and Best in Show for Arti…
topic: Burton, Mary Sheppard
subject: Burton, Mary Sheppard
is biographical history for: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection1993-2006
is part of: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection

Manuscript Materials
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection1993-2006
is aggregated by: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection1993-2006
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: series
type: Aggregation
type: Collection
has part: Finding Aid (This document)
aggregates: Finding Aid (This document)
has part: “Footsteps on History, Tell Me ‘Bout Series: Family Portraits.”
aggregates: “Footsteps on History, Tell Me ‘Bout Series: Family Portraits.”
has part: Photograph Log: PH01-PH25
aggregates: Photograph Log: PH01-PH25

Graphic Images
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection1993-2006
is aggregated by: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection1993-2006
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: series
type: Aggregation
type: Collection
has part: Photographs and Negatives: PH01-PH25
aggregates: Photographs and Negatives: PH01-PH25

Artifacts
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection1993-2006
is aggregated by: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection1993-2006
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: series
type: Aggregation
type: Collection
has part: Rug 1. When Pa Was Young - Skating the Bay
aggregates: Rug 1. When Pa Was Young - Skating the Bay
has part: Rug 2. When Pa Was Young - The Tool Fetcher
aggregates: Rug 2. When Pa Was Young - The Tool Fetcher
has part: Rug 3. The Secret Place
aggregates: Rug 3. The Secret Place
has part: Rug 4. Strawberry Capital of the World
aggregates: Rug 4. Strawberry Capital of the World
has part: Rug 5. When Dad Was Two
aggregates: Rug 5. When Dad Was Two
has part: Rug 6. The Bushel Basket Hat
aggregates: Rug 6. The Bushel Basket Hat
has part: Rug 7. A Chicken in Every Pot
aggregates: Rug 7. A Chicken in Every Pot
has part: Rug 8. Fox Hunting at Sycamore Hollow
aggregates: Rug 8. Fox Hunting at Sycamore Hollow
has part: Rug 9. Chicken Fishin’
aggregates: Rug 9. Chicken Fishin’
has part: Rug 10. The First Meals on Wheels
aggregates: Rug 10. The First Meals on Wheels
has part: Rug 11. Day’s End on the Sinepuxent Bay
aggregates: Rug 11. Day’s End on the Sinepuxent Bay
has part: Rug 12. When Mom was Wee, Mary Sheppard Burton’s Story
aggregates: Rug 12. When Mom was Wee, Mary Sheppard Burton’s Story

Moving Images
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection1993-2006
is aggregated by: Mary Sheppard Burton Collection1993-2006
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: series
type: Aggregation
type: Collection
has part: Tape 1 of 2
aggregates: Tape 1 of 2
has part: Tape 2 of 2
aggregates: Tape 2 of 2
has part: Tape of Mary Burton talking about her rugs. June 8, 2000.
aggregates: Tape of Mary Burton talking about her rugs. June 8, 2000.

series
type: Level
type: Concept

Finding Aid (This document)
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Manuscript Materials
is aggregated by: Manuscript Materials
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file

“Footsteps on History, Tell Me ‘Bout Series: Family Portraits.”
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Manuscript Materials
is aggregated by: Manuscript Materials
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file
scopecontent: Mary Sheppard Burton. Undated. 6 pages.

Photograph Log: PH01-PH25
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Manuscript Materials
is aggregated by: Manuscript Materials
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file

file
type: Level
type: Concept

Photographs and Negatives: PH01-PH25
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Graphic Images
is aggregated by: Graphic Images
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file
scopecontent: Photographs taken by David A. Taylor on March 2, 2006. 25 color photographs, 25 color negatives.

Rug 1. When Pa Was Young - Skating the Bay
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Artifacts
is aggregated by: Artifacts
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file
scopecontent: The rug displays an image of Mary Sheppard Burton’s grandfather, Edward Sampson Phipps, skating across the Chesapeake Bay. Tell Me ‘Bout Series, 1993-1994. Dimensions: 45 x 69 inches.

Rug 2. When Pa Was Young - The Tool Fetcher
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Artifacts
is aggregated by: Artifacts
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file
scopecontent: The rug displays an image of Edward Sampson Phipps, Mary Sheppard Burton’s grandfather, who dove into the Susquehanna River retrieving the tools that had been dropped into the river by the workmen who were constructing the bridge above the river. Tell Me ‘Bout Series, 1993. Dimensions: 46.5 x 32.5 inches.

Rug 3. The Secret Place
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Artifacts
is aggregated by: Artifacts
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file
scopecontent: The rug displays an image of Alice Phipps, Mary Sheppard Burton’s mother, in a tree with an apple and reading a book. This was her mother’s secret place. Tell Me ‘Bout Series, 1994. Dimensions: 43.75 x 52.25 inches.

Rug 4. Strawberry Capital of the World
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Artifacts
is aggregated by: Artifacts
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file
scopecontent: The rug depicts images from the town of Pittsville, Maryland, where Burton’s father John Raymond Sheppard grew up. Tell Me ‘Bout Series, 1994-1995. Dimensions: 62 x 43 inches.

Rug 5. When Dad Was Two
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Artifacts
is aggregated by: Artifacts
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file
scopecontent: The rug depicts the image of a two-year-old Charles Burton, Mary Sheppard Burton’s husband, head first in the snow. He was accidently given grape wine instead of grape juice. Tell Me ‘Bout Series, 1995. Dimensions: 44.25 x 33 inches.

Rug 6. The Bushel Basket Hat
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Artifacts
is aggregated by: Artifacts
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file
scopecontent: The rug displays the image of Alice Phipps, Burton’s mother, as she flew upside down in a plane in a bushel basket hat. The rug also displays the image of the hat as it falls from the sky. Tell Me ‘Bout Series, 1996. Dimensions: 49.5 x 59.5 inches.

Rug 7. A Chicken in Every Pot
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Artifacts
is aggregated by: Artifacts
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file
scopecontent: The rug displays Charles Burton, Mary’s Sheppard Burton’s husband, as he climbed a tree to witness the inauguration of Herbert Hoover. The rug also displays images of chickens and roosters. The rug refers to Hoover’s famous promise of “a chicken in every pot.” Tell Me ‘Bout Series, 1996. Dimensions: 66 x 44 inches.

Rug 8. Fox Hunting at Sycamore Hollow
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Artifacts
is aggregated by: Artifacts
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file
scopecontent: The rug depicts images of men on horses at Sycamore Hollow in Montgomery County, Maryland. In the center Burton weaves a landmark barn which dates back to 1838. Tell Me ‘Bout Series, 1998. Dimensions: 66 x 44 inches.

Rug 9. Chicken Fishin’
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Artifacts
is aggregated by: Artifacts
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file
scopecontent: Nellie Blaine Lankford was Mary Sheppard Burton’s mother-in-law. The rug depicts the images of Nellie and her sister Anna in Tyaskin, Maryland. The two would feed the chickens kernels that were attached to the end of a fishing line. Tell Me ‘Bout Series, 1999. Dimensions: 39 x 46 inches.

Rug 10. The First Meals on Wheels
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Artifacts
is aggregated by: Artifacts
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file
scopecontent: Alice Phipps, Mary Sheppard Burton’s mother, would deliver food to the sick. This rug shows Alice on a bike along with other landmarks in Salisbury, Maryland. Tell Me ‘Bout Series, 1999. Dimensions: 42 x 58 inches.

Rug 11. Day’s End on the Sinepuxent Bay
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Artifacts
is aggregated by: Artifacts
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file
scopecontent: Richard Dale, a relative of Mary Sheppard Burton, is depicted steering a sailboat on the Maryland coast. Richard Dale fought against pirates and also assisted in defending the island of Bermuda against the British. Tell Me ‘Bout Series, 2000. Dimensions: 19.25 x 34.5 inches.

Rug 12. When Mom was Wee, Mary Sheppard Burton’s Story
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Artifacts
is aggregated by: Artifacts
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file
scopecontent: The rug depicts images of the Model A Ford, along with pigs on a farm and a little girl who represents Mary Sheppard Burton’s mother. Tell Me ‘Bout Series, 2005. Dimensions: 44.2 x 31 inches.

Tape 1 of 2
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Moving Images
is aggregated by: Moving Images
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file
scopecontent: Interview with Mary Sheppard Burton at her home in Germantown, Md. Undated. 1 VHS videocassette.

Tape 2 of 2
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Moving Images
is aggregated by: Moving Images
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file
scopecontent: Interview with Mary Sheppard Burton at her home in Germantown, Md. Undated. 1 VHS videotape.

Tape of Mary Burton talking about her rugs. June 8, 2000.
type: ArchivalResource
is part of: Moving Images
is aggregated by: Moving Images
access provided by: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
level: file
scopecontent: Interview with Mary Sheppard Burton at her home in Germantown, Md. Undated 1 VHS videotape. [Unplayable - Damaged]