I'm finding myself more than ever drawn to examples of early needlework these days, and also to old things that feel remarkably modern/contemporary (there is a show up now of Revolutionary War flags at the Museum of the American Revolution that is a prime example, phenomenally beautiful in color and spareness.) Anyway, the color and pattern of the needlepoint on this early 19th c. pocket book, American I believe, just completely won me-- hand-dyed wool, combined with a sort of eggplant velvet upper section, and braided cotton, indigo dyed strap. The tassel looks like braided silk thread to me, would around a wooden spool at top. And there are traces of silk lining inside, mostly worn and revealing linen underneath. It remains in quite excellent and sturdy shape such that one could, on occasion, carry it, but it'd be much more inclined to hang it on the wall; a rare beauty.
6 1/2" x 5 5/8" not including straps and tassel. Stable and sound, with a few lost stitches on the needlepoint, more on on side than the other, as pictured. And one sting of the strap appears to have lost the white stitches that held its braiding tight, so shows some looseness, but is stable and not losing any thread.
You might also like
