The sampler consists of seven rows of alphabets some separated by simple crossbands. The ground linen is lined and the edges are bound. The signature line at the bottom reads:
Sr. Defrosa…Loretto

Maria Smythe was born on March 13, 1818 in Little York, York, Pennsylvania to Edward Smythe, (?-?), an immigrant from Ireland, and Catherine Kain, (?-?), from Maryland. From Baltimore, Maryland, the family moved to Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky and Maria, taught by the Sisters of Charity in Baltimore, was sent to complete her education at the Loretto Academy in Marion County, Kentucky. She attended Loretto Academy for one year and so enjoyed her studies (administered by the Sisters of Loretto), that she stayed for life, becoming a candidate for admittance into the “Loretto Society” on February 14, 1837. Maria’s religious name, Defrosa, almost certainly derives from the Italian/Spanish "de Rosa" — meaning "of the Rose" — which was a widely used Marian devotional name. The rose is one of the oldest symbols of the Virgin Mary (hence the Rosary, corona rosarium, "crown of roses"), so a name honoring Mary "of the Rose" would have been entirely natural in a community as Marian in its spirituality as the Sisters of Loretto, who were formally called "Friends of Mary at the Foot of the Cross." The rendering as a single word, Defrosa, rather than the two-word de Rosa, is also typical of how religious names were recorded in American convent registers of that era — they were often compressed or Anglicized slightly in written records.

Mother Dafrosa Smythe was apparently very well respected in the Loretto community. She was chosen as the Major Superior/Superior General of the Sisters of Loretto, (congregational leader of the Sisters of Loretto), from 1876-1879, 1879-1882, 1888-1889 and 1891-1893. A more complete timeline includes:

1843-1870: Directress of Studies, Calvary, Holy Mary's on the Rolling Fork, KY
1870-1873: Treasurer at Sisters of Loretto
1873-1876: Mistress of Novices & First Assistant to Superior at Sisters of Loretto
1876-1882: Superior General at Sisters of Loretto
1882-1888: Superior in Florissant, MO
1888-1893: Superior General at Sisters of Loretto (resigned due to ill health)
1893-1900: retired

Respect for Sr. Defrosa was further conveyed in her obituary, labeled a “Panegyric”, published in the Courier-Journal Newspaper. (A Panegyric is a formal speech, piece of writing, or verse that praises someone or something highly, often in an elaborate, lofty, or eulogistic manner. It emphasizes positive qualities without mentioning flaws, an example of which is a funeral oration extolling the virtues of a notable person). (See ancillary images.)

Maria (Sr. Defrosa/DeFrosa) Smythe, SL (Sister of Loretto) died on April 28, 1900 in Nerinx, Marion County, Kentucky and is buried there at the Our Lady of Sorrows/Loretto Motherhouse Cemetery. Interestingly, her last name is spelled incorrectly on her tombstone. (See ancillary images.)