Purse
1800-1830 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Small purses were made in enormous numbers by women and girls at home in the first half of the 19th century, either for personal use, as a gift or to be donated to a worthy fundraising cause. The variety of needlework or 'fancy work' techniques employed included knitting, as in this example, netting, crochet, embroidery on woven silk and on net, and painting on satin and on velvet.
Materials & Making
This purse has been knitted in different shades of silk, with beads threaded through some of the stitches. It would have been worked on fine steel needles; by the early 19th century knitting needles were being manufactured of so fine a gauge that they were little thicker than ordinary sewing needles. The elaborate texture and colouring of the purse epitomises the fashion for exploring the full creative possibilities of fine knitting, with inventive patterns and stitches.
Small purses were made in enormous numbers by women and girls at home in the first half of the 19th century, either for personal use, as a gift or to be donated to a worthy fundraising cause. The variety of needlework or 'fancy work' techniques employed included knitting, as in this example, netting, crochet, embroidery on woven silk and on net, and painting on satin and on velvet.
Materials & Making
This purse has been knitted in different shades of silk, with beads threaded through some of the stitches. It would have been worked on fine steel needles; by the early 19th century knitting needles were being manufactured of so fine a gauge that they were little thicker than ordinary sewing needles. The elaborate texture and colouring of the purse epitomises the fashion for exploring the full creative possibilities of fine knitting, with inventive patterns and stitches.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Knitted silk, with steel beads |
| Brief description | Purse, 1800-30, British, knitted in shades of green, yellow and orange in the shape of a pineapple. |
| Physical description | Pineapple-shaped purse knitted in coloured silks with steel beads on the point of each leaf-shaped pendant |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Messrs Harrods Ltd. |
| Summary | Object Type Small purses were made in enormous numbers by women and girls at home in the first half of the 19th century, either for personal use, as a gift or to be donated to a worthy fundraising cause. The variety of needlework or 'fancy work' techniques employed included knitting, as in this example, netting, crochet, embroidery on woven silk and on net, and painting on satin and on velvet. Materials & Making This purse has been knitted in different shades of silk, with beads threaded through some of the stitches. It would have been worked on fine steel needles; by the early 19th century knitting needles were being manufactured of so fine a gauge that they were little thicker than ordinary sewing needles. The elaborate texture and colouring of the purse epitomises the fashion for exploring the full creative possibilities of fine knitting, with inventive patterns and stitches. |
| Bibliographic reference | Miller, Lesley Ellis, and Ana Cabrera Lafuente, with Claire Allen-Johnstone, eds. Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2021. ISBN 978-0-500-48065-6.
This object features in the publication Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion (2021) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.1348-1913 |
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| Record created | February 26, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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