Polly Este's Rewards of Merit, Southborough, MA, 1827! mosaic tiles I take the pale pink

I take the pale pink flowers as peonies

and a split in the bottom

including a peacock

making the subjects feel so present and right there

Polly Este's Rewards of Merit, Southborough, MA, 1827! mosaic tiles I take the pale pinkIt's a rare day that I come across a reward of merit or three as early as these, and even less frequently do I come across an entirely handmade one. Clearly Polly Este, or someone who loved her, was proud of her accomplishments, managing to keep these safe and sound and together for just about 200 years. I have a definitive record for Polly, born Aug. 30, 1818 in Southborough, Massachusetts, daughter of Solomon Este. She married Henry Sumner Wheeler