Coin purse

Unknown

1830–50 · silk, glass, metal · Costume Institute

The construction of this coin purse is unusual; 19th-century coin purses were more often crocheted rather than knitted. The maker's name worked in beads and what is likely the owner's name on the frame offer a good document of Victorian craft making. The bag, which belonged to the donor's family, was probably created by a woman for a male friend. 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

1830–50

Medium

silk, glass, metal

Culture

American

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