Drawstring bag

Unknown

early 18th century · silk, metallic thread · Costume Institute

In her memoirs, the Marquise de la Tour du Pin commented on a bag, similar to this one, used to hold the missal or prayerbook she was handed on her way to mass at Versailles: Then we would throw our trains on one side of our hooped skirts, and after having been noticed by one’s footman, who was waiting with a big red velvet bag adorned with gold tassels, we would rush into to the rows on the right and left of the chapel so as to be as close as possible to the balcony where the King and Queen and princes who had joined them… were gathered. Your footman would put your bag in front of you; you would take out your book, which you hardly used since by the time you had arranged your train and looked through the huge bag, the masses had already reached the Gospel.

Artist

Unknown

Date

early 18th century

Medium

silk, metallic thread

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Gift of Spencer Samuels, 1978