Purse thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Purse

1800-1824 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The banishment of the pocket inspired one of the richest periods of development in hand-held accessories, as a great diversity of reticules, as they later became known, and purses in various materials and styles appeared. Large round, hexagonal or lozenge shapes based on the military sabretache of the Napoleonic Wars were favoured and their flat sides provided a vehicle for embroidered, beaded, painted and applied decoration.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Embroidered silk, with silk cord
Physical description
Flat, hexagonal-shapedwhite silk reticule with floral embroidery and silk cord tassels
Summary
The banishment of the pocket inspired one of the richest periods of development in hand-held accessories, as a great diversity of reticules, as they later became known, and purses in various materials and styles appeared. Large round, hexagonal or lozenge shapes based on the military sabretache of the Napoleonic Wars were favoured and their flat sides provided a vehicle for embroidered, beaded, painted and applied decoration.
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.554-1954

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Record createdFebruary 26, 2003
Record URL
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