Design
ca. 1940-1955 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
'Waldybags' was the name given to a particular type of luxury handbag sold by the firm H. Wald & Co. after the Second World War. They were characterised by and unusual decorative technique by which minuscule glass beads were applied to painted decoration, creating a glistening, textured effect. These handbags were popular with the British royal family. Although the firm is synonymous with this style of decoration, the decorative technique was in fact developed and executed by Florence Campbell, a Jewish-German immigrant who married a Scottish engineer and moved to England in the 1940s. She expanded her skills in German pen work, a popular past time for young women in Germany, to encompass a range of decorative objects including household items and shoes, as well as bags. The work was initially carried out solely by Mrs Campbell. Later she taught the technique to her niece, Joan Ashley-Biggs, and then the latter's daughter, Margaret Wood, who continued to design and paint Waldybags until the late 1970s.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Pencil and ink drawing on transparent paper |
Brief description | A design for a handbag for Queen Elizabeth's coronation by Florence Campbell (c.1886- c.1970) |
Physical description | A design on transparent paper for one side of a woman's handbag. The paper is folded in two to replicate both sides of the handbag, but the design is only drawn on one side. It is drawn in black ink with some traces of pencil under-drawing. It depicts the symbols of a Royal coronation, including a crown and sceptor and orb, and traditional iconography of the British Isles such as the rose, thistle, shamrock and lion. Around the outer edge of the bag is a border intended to imitate an ermine trim. |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Given by Mrs M. Wood |
Object history | It is believed that this design is for the handbag worn by the Queen Mother for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. |
Subject depicted | |
Associations | |
Summary | 'Waldybags' was the name given to a particular type of luxury handbag sold by the firm H. Wald & Co. after the Second World War. They were characterised by and unusual decorative technique by which minuscule glass beads were applied to painted decoration, creating a glistening, textured effect. These handbags were popular with the British royal family. Although the firm is synonymous with this style of decoration, the decorative technique was in fact developed and executed by Florence Campbell, a Jewish-German immigrant who married a Scottish engineer and moved to England in the 1940s. She expanded her skills in German pen work, a popular past time for young women in Germany, to encompass a range of decorative objects including household items and shoes, as well as bags. The work was initially carried out solely by Mrs Campbell. Later she taught the technique to her niece, Joan Ashley-Biggs, and then the latter's daughter, Margaret Wood, who continued to design and paint Waldybags until the late 1970s. |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.15-2014 |
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Record created | November 19, 2013 |
Record URL |
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