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Beaded Bags
Ironically it was men, not women, who carried the first purses, during the Crusades in the 11th century. The cloth or leather pouches, called almoniers, were designed to hold alms—donations for the poor. By the 14th century, both men and women owned purses, usually hand-embroidered on cloth, which they referred to as pouches or pockets.
As styles evolved over time, pockets were added to men’s and women’s clothing, and by the 18th century, women alone held the purse strings, literally speaking. The slim fashion silhouettes of the 1790s to 1810s created a new demand for purses or “reticules,” so-called for their drawstring headers.
Since the 12th century, glassblowers in Venice (and much later, in Bohemia and Germany) had mastered the delicate art of making fine seed beads or “perles” for fancy work, but it wasn’t until the 19th century that beaded bags became a fashionable accessory. Bead size is one way to date a bag—typically the smaller the bead, the older the bag. To color the beads, glassblowers added different chemicals—cobalt, selenium, copper, etc.—once producing an incredible 2,300 shades of beads.
Like fashion design, beaded bags reflected the trends of the times. In the Victorian age, purse patterns grew more elaborate, depicting historic settings, scenes, and floral themes. Fanciful figural bags might show romantic couples, butterfly hunters, funerals, or children at play. Bags with scenes of Venetian canals and Bavarian castles proved popular, as did Oriental-rug bags, which featured rich colors and detailed designs.
Victorian ladies of leisure spent up to a year creating these works of art, which they typically crocheted or knitted on cloth using as many as a thousand tiny beads per inch. Early reticules can be dated by their tulip shapes, three-section designs, and tassels. When frames came into vogue in the 1800s (often made of base or precious metals and embellished with enamel, faux or real jewels, and marcasites), many reticules were revamped, making them difficult to date. After the opening of King Tut’s tomb in 1923, Egyptian motifs created using medium-sized beads flooded the fashion scene, and stylized gods, sphinxes, pharaohs, scarabs, and lotus blossoms adorned Deco purses with figural frames of celluloid or metal.
As styles evolved over time, pockets were added to men’s and women’s clothing, and by the 18th century, women alone held the purse strings, literally speaking. The slim fashion silhouettes of the 1790s to 1810s created a new demand for purses or “reticules,” so-called for their drawstring headers.
Since the 12th century, glassblowers in Venice (and much later, in Bohemia and Germany) had mastered the delicate art of making fine seed beads or “perles” for fancy work, but it wasn’t until the 19th century that beaded bags became a fashionable accessory. Bead size is one way to date a bag—typically the smaller the bead, the older the bag. To color the beads, glassblowers added different chemicals—cobalt, selenium, copper, etc.—once producing an incredible 2,300 shades of beads.
Like fashion design, beaded bags reflected the trends of the times. In the Victorian age, purse patterns grew more elaborate, depicting historic settings, scenes, and floral themes. Fanciful figural bags might show romantic couples, butterfly hunters, funerals, or children at play. Bags with scenes of Venetian canals and Bavarian castles proved popular, as did Oriental-rug bags, which featured rich colors and detailed designs.
Victorian ladies of leisure spent up to a year creating these works of art, which they typically crocheted or knitted on cloth using as many as a thousand tiny beads per inch. Early reticules can be dated by their tulip shapes, three-section designs, and tassels. When frames came into vogue in the 1800s (often made of base or precious metals and embellished with enamel, faux or real jewels, and marcasites), many reticules were revamped, making them difficult to date. After the opening of King Tut’s tomb in 1923, Egyptian motifs created using medium-sized beads flooded the fashion scene, and stylized gods, sphinxes, pharaohs, scarabs, and lotus blossoms adorned Deco purses with figural frames of celluloid or metal.
Latest page update: made by jsonderg
, Apr 19 2007, 12:42 PM EDT
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