200 years, Millions of Stories: Prudence Punderson

The Connecticut Museum has built a collection of over four million objects, documents, and images over the past 200 years, but one collection in particular has garnered significant attention through the years.

In 1963, the Connecticut Museum purchased several textiles embroidered by a young women named Prudence Punderson, who documented her life during the American Revolution through needlework skills. With access to her personal writings and embroidery, audiences can view a woman’s perspective during the fight for independence and recognize themes still relevant today.  

Straight pins used by Prudence Punderson 18th century. Connecticut Museum Collection 2013.40.0.1-3

At the age of 20, Prudence Punderson found herself on the shores of Long Island after her family was forced to leave Preston, Connecticut due to her father’s Loyalist views. She left behind friends, family, and everything she knew. Writing in her diary and sewing were her sources of comfort during the hardship of being uprooted.   

Punderson’s father sailed around the Long Island Sound as a merchant while the rest of the family settled in Sag Harbor. During this time, Punderson transcribed letters she wrote to friends and family in her journal about her struggles. To her friend Sally she writes, “…the time hath counted in its full Length been an hour & every hour a Day; though Tonight ^be^ very happy, were I but contented, & contented in our situation for the People in this Place are exceedingly kind.” (Page 53 in Prudence Punderson’s Journal, Connecticut Museum Collection MS Punderson 1964.134.17.43.) When the family struggled financially, Punderson turned to domestic work to earn money. She continued her needlework for professional and personal use. 

The Connecticut Museum obtained several of Punderson’s textiles including depictions of the twelve apostles. However, the Museum’s most requested object for digitization and loans is Punderson’s silk on-linen needlework piece, First Second and Last Scene of Mortality, created around 1775.

The First, Second, and Last Scene of Mortality. Embroidered by Prudence Punderson 1776-1783. Connecticut Museum collection 1962.28.4.

The piece illustrates three scenes from a person’s life. Punderson depicts herself seated in the center of a room with an inkwell, compass, and a ruler on a table. To the right, a Black woman – who is believed to be Jenny, a woman enslaved by the Punderson family – sits next to a baby in a wooden cradle. To the left, a black coffin with Punderson’s initials. This moving piece foreshadows Punderson from the beginning of life, on the right, to inevitable death, on the left. In between this where Punderson sits, we can see the objects of importance in her day-to-day life. This work, with others, helped document her life during the American Revolution.   

Sketches by Prudence Punderson from page 50 of her journal. Connecticut Museum Collection MS Punderson 1964.134.17.39a

Punderson also sketched illustrations and wrote poetry. Her verses touched on topics such as marriage, gender roles, astrology, and historic figures, offering further insight into her values and emotions. Her poem, “To the Fair-Sex,” describes how it is important to focus on knowledge and personality rather than outer beauty. She writes, “Glow with the meaning of the heart! / Where freedom and good humor sit, / And easy gaiety and wit.” (Page 20 in Prudence Punderson’s Journal, Connecticut Museum Collection MS Punderson 1964.134.17.8.) A woman’s beauty will not last forever, but her humor and wit will never fade. At the end of some of her writings, Punderson sketches flowers and animals. 

Sketches by Prudence Punderson from page 51 of her journal. Connecticut Museum Collection MS Punderson 1964.134.17.39b

Sometime in 1783, after the war ended, Prudence Punderson married Timothy Wells Rossiter, a physician and surgeon. About a year later, the couple welcomed their daughter Sophia in July of 1784. Sadly, months after Sophia’s birth, Prudence died at the age of 26.   

Though the life of a talented young woman was cut short – as were many during this era – her art and literacy have preserved her name. When the Connecticut Museum purchased several of Prudence Punderson’s textiles, it gave a wider audience to the material remains of her legacy. Today, her work allows historians, needlework experts, and audiences across the state and nation to connect to the lives people led in the past. Most significantly, this collection displays the differences between life in the 1700s and today, but emphasizes the timeless interests of love, life, and mortality.  

To view Punderson’s textiles and associated objects in person, make an appointment to visit the Research Center at the Connecticut Museum.

Written by Chianna Calafiore, Connecticut Museum Collections Associate

Sketches by Prudence Punderson from page 75 of her journal. Connecticut Museum Collection MS Punderson 1964.134.17.63