Pouch

Unknown

1820–50 · glass, linen, silk · Costume Institute

Purchased in Rome, this pouch bag displays distinctive and unusual iconography: a curling floral motif on one side and what appears to be a sporting motif on the other. The contradictions give the bag a whimsical, personalized air. Margaret S. Bedell (1861-1932) donated, by gift or bequest, over 500 objects to the Brooklyn Museum, including furniture, quilts, samplers, costume and Native American beadwork. Her collection of American and European beaded bags includes examples from Philadelphia and the Catskill Mountain region of New York State, as well as Italy, Austria, Germany, and Holland.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1820–50

Medium

glass, linen, silk

Culture

probably Italian

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Margaret S. Bedell, 1930