Medium: Embroidered silk

Date: c.1800

Country: France

Credit: Gift of Thomas Oechsler

Women’s dresses of the early nineteenth century were too simple and lightweight to have pockets; consequently, charmingly-embellished bags became indispensable accessories. This reticule was made from an eighteenth-century man’s waistcoat. Elaborate waistcoats had gone out of fashion, but the one used here had been saved, probably because of its striking embroidery.

Object Number: 93.132.2