Handbag
mid 19th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Silk woven in plaid and tartan patterns became very fashionable in the middle of the nineteenth century. Queen Victoria's association with Scotland helped to promote the fabric as a choice for day and evening dresses, as well as hats and other accessories. An offcut may have been used to make this useful bag, beautifully and probably professionally embroidered with a thistle, an appropriately Scottish emblem. The cord handle and tassels were probably custom-made to match the tones of the woven silk.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Embroidered silk satin, lined with silk, wood |
| Brief description | Handbag made of embroidered silk satin and lined with silk, England, mid-19th century |
| Physical description | Bag made of tartan silk embroidered with a thistle. The bag is square, slightly gathered at the top, and with stiffened edges. It is woven in satin and lined in plain white silk. The tartan has a white centre on which is a silver brocaded thistle. The handle ends have multicoloured tassels with silk-covered wooden bobbles of the colours woven in the tartan. The tartan resembles the dress Stewart pattern. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Capt. H. G. H. Tracy, RN |
| Object history | The tartan pattern of this bag appears to be the Dress Stewart Tartan, which differs from the Royal Stewart Tartan in that it is on a white background rather than a red one. According to the Scotish Register of Tartans, the Stewart tartans can appropriately be worn by anyone who is a subject of the British Isles and/or the monarch. |
| Summary | Silk woven in plaid and tartan patterns became very fashionable in the middle of the nineteenth century. Queen Victoria's association with Scotland helped to promote the fabric as a choice for day and evening dresses, as well as hats and other accessories. An offcut may have been used to make this useful bag, beautifully and probably professionally embroidered with a thistle, an appropriately Scottish emblem. The cord handle and tassels were probably custom-made to match the tones of the woven silk. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.67-1961 |
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| Record created | September 11, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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