Bag
1830s (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
From the 1830s Berlin woolwork dominated home embroidery. The patterns were worked in merino wools from Germany on to canvas, and silks were introduced for texture and bright colour contrasts. Thousands of printed charts were imported into England, each square representing a stitch, and many designs for bags and purses were available, as well as for other small objects such as slippers, or watch holders. While much of the embroidery was worked simply and methodically, more complex stitches and patterns were often used for bags. Small, geometric patterns were popular at first, but soon floral motifs became highly prevalent. From the 1830s Berlin woolwork incorporated beads, resulting in compositions of great variety and colour.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Canvas, embroidered with wool, embellished with gilt beads, silk and chenille, lined with silk |
| Brief description | Handbag of embroidered canvas, Great Britain, 1830s. |
| Physical description | Canvas handbag embroidered with green wool in a chevron pattern and embellished with vertical bars of white and gilt beads. It has a green silk holding cord handle and chenille tassels. It is lined with white silk and has a necklace screw fastening at the centre inside top. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | Reticules, also known as ridicules or indispensables, were small pouches with a handle designed to be carried at a woman’s side. When they became popular in the late 18th century, reticules were usually made from fine materials such as silk to match fabrics used for dresses. Their outer surfaces were embroidered (sometimes with mottos), beaded or painted. They would hold small objects such as a fan, letters and handkerchief, and are considered a precursor of today's handbag. The purple reticule with yellow piping, shown here [T.256:1-1966], contained a letter and was made 'as a small token of gratitude' in 1822 by Emma A. Gibson [T.256:2-1966].
V&A, Room 40, Bags: Inside Out. (12/2020) |
| Credit line | Given by J. N. Addison |
| Summary | From the 1830s Berlin woolwork dominated home embroidery. The patterns were worked in merino wools from Germany on to canvas, and silks were introduced for texture and bright colour contrasts. Thousands of printed charts were imported into England, each square representing a stitch, and many designs for bags and purses were available, as well as for other small objects such as slippers, or watch holders. While much of the embroidery was worked simply and methodically, more complex stitches and patterns were often used for bags. Small, geometric patterns were popular at first, but soon floral motifs became highly prevalent. From the 1830s Berlin woolwork incorporated beads, resulting in compositions of great variety and colour. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.286-1973 |
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| Record created | February 26, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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