Cross-stitched embroideries were introduced by the Deerfield Society of Blue and White Needlework of Deerfield, Massachusetts, soon after the society was formed in 1896. Quicker to execute than many of the other stitches, cross-stitched textiles were therefore less expensive to purchase. A 1903 review of an exhibition of the society’s work at the Art Institute of Chicago observed that “by far the most attractive things in the Deerfield case are the cross stitch pieces in color.” This embroidery combines verse with artistic needlework and was likely intended to hang on the wall.