Hand-stitched lavender satin bag

Date

• 1878

Summary

• Hand stitched lavender satin bag in a pentagon shape. There is a hand painted picture on the front, positioned near the bottom, of a face covered with strands of long gray and white hair so that only the eyes, nose and a hint of gray clothing are visible. It is a very strange figure to see on a ladyʼs dainty silk bag. The face is framed with green foliage along the sides and bottom. There is a large, deep lavender ribbon bow at the front. Two long pieces of ribbon are attached at the back and tied into a bow to create a loop handle. The bag has a narrow ribbon border and thick thread fringe in deep lavender. It measures 7 1/4" long and is lined with stiffened buckram. Sewed to the back of the bow is a 2" metal clip embossed with the words, “Deus Medailles, Exposition Universelle Paris 1878.” Because of the metal clip it can be assumed that the bag was a souvenir from the fair.