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Culture:American
Title:wallet
Date Made:late 18th century
Type:Personal Equipment
Materials:textile: silk; cardboard, paper
Place Made:United States
Accession Number:  HD 63.054
Museum Collection:  Historic Deerfield

Description:
Man's wallet or pocketbook embroidered with silk embroidery yarns on silk and attached to pieces of cardboard and "Denis" stitched in for Dennis Stebbins (1778-1842). It contains an invitation card to the Exhibition Ball at E. Barnard's Hall (Frary House) on Sept. 17, 1799; one dollar credit to the Hungarian Fund, 1852, etc. Cases for holding documents, paper money, letters and business cards were made by women to be used by men. The flame stitch pattern was easily accomplished, popular in a wide range of designs, and impressed people with its color, workmanship, and connotation of wealth when presented in the marketplace. Fine needlework defined status for both ladies and gentlemen during the 18th century, and reflected well on a genteel household where women had the skill and time to execute such work. Some of these wallets may also have been carried by a woman; however, the majority of these surviving accessories are embroiderd with men's names which give us the impression that they were mostly used by men.

Subjects:
Textile fabrics; Silk

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+63.054

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.

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