Design for Waldybag
Design
ca. 1940-1955 (made)
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 | |
| Title | Design for Waldybag |
| Materials and techniques | This technique was developed by Florence Campbell, and derived from German penwork, a traditional craft of painting patterns onto fabric. Bags decorated in this way were popularly known as 'Waldybags' as they were sold by the firm of H. Wald and Co. Mrs Campbell painted designs such as this on transparent plastic so that potential clients could envisage how the finished products would look. Designs on plastic would be held against satin bags of different colours and sizes so clients could select their desired pattern and type of bag. Mrs Campbell would then transfer the design from the plastic sheet onto the bag by tracing it on greaseproof paper, and pricking it to create the outline of the design. She would then paint the design directly onto the bag. |
| Brief description | Design on plastic for a Waldybag by Florence Campbell (c.1886- c.1970) |
| Physical description | A painted design for a handbag on plastic. The design comprises five columns of coloured flowers which together create the shape of one side of a handbag. The flowers are arranged in an alternating pattern and include representations of red roses as well as smaller stylised flowers in blue, purple and yellow. The design is painted in various colours and covered in very fine clear beads. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Design |
| Credit line | Given by Mrs M. Wood |
| Object history | The V&A have a very similar Waldybag in the collection, museum number T.536-1996. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Association | |
| 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. |
| Associated object | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.18-2014 |
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| Record created | November 19, 2013 |
| Record URL |
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