Coin purse

American

Not on view

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.

Coin purse, silk, glass, metal, American

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.