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AMERICAN CANVASWORK POCKETBOOKS
FROM THE COLLECTION OF OLD STURBRIDGE VILLAGE |
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| GARDNER POCKETBOOK | |
| ES POCKETBOOK | |
| Worked linen pocketbooks were often made in New England between 1740 and 1790, but reached their peak of popularity between 1760 and 1780. This type of worked pocketbook was more popular in America than in England. They were obviously valued by their owners, and mention of them can be found in wills, inventories, and diaries of the period. While leather pocketbooks were more common, being commercially available, more of these hand-worked examples survive, perhaps because of personal and sentimental reasons. Both sexes carried these pocketbooks. Women carried theirs inside their pockets (the large, U-shaped cloth bags tied at the waist and worn under the outer skirt). Inside the pocketbook, a woman might carry buttons, a thimble, hooks, needles, and sundry papers. Men usually carried business and personal documents, coins and paper money in theirs; hence women's pocketbooks were usually smaller than men's. The pocketbook itself was usually lined with a brightly color wool or silk fabric, and given a stiff interlining of cardboard. The ends were bound by an extension of these binding tapes, or a metal clasp. Cross stitched pocketbooks of this period are quite rare, with Irish stitch being the most common technique used. Some examples worked in Queen stitch survive, usually executed in silk rather than wool because of the intricacy of that stitch. Most of them were made with wool floss.
This unusual worked pocketbook was made in Swansea, Massachusetts, in 1755, done in cross stitch. It is lined - as was typical - with pink worsted wool, and made with two broad interior pickets, permitting the piece to open fully. All edges were bound with red now faded to pink wool tape woven in a chevron pattern (reverse twill). |
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| Origin and date: American 18th century Linen count and finished size: 35-count, 10-5/8"x4-1/8" when flat Stitches: cross and eyelet Source: Old Sturbridge Village Kit with cotton floss: $ 38.00 Kit with silk floss: : $ 65.00 Graph: $ 12.00 |
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This flame stitched, single pocketbook, found in Newburyport, Massachusetts, was originally worked in simple Irish stitch, in still-brilliant rainbow hues. |
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| Origin and date: American 18th century Linen count and finished size: 35-count same as the original: 5-3/8"x3-1/2" folded, and 5-3/8"x 9-7/8" flat, 10-5/8"x4-1/8" when flat Stitches: only cross and Irish stitches used Source: Old Sturbridge Village Kit with cotton floss: $ 38.00 Kit with silk floss: $ 65.00 Graph: $ 10.00 |
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E S POCKETBOOK
CIRCA 1780 |
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| E.S. Pocketbook shown closed. Probably made in Massachusetts during the last quarter of the 18th century, this canvaswork pocketbook was originally worked in Irish stitch with wool threads on a linen ground. It was bound with green worsted tape, gusseted at the sides to open to one compartment, and the initials E S are stitched in eyelet stitch on the outside, and repeated inside. On 30-count linen, worked in Irish and eyelet stitches using Appleton crewel wool the finished piece will be the same size as the original. | |
| Origin and date: American 18th century Linen count and finished size: 30-count same as the original: 9"x 8" when opened completely and flat Stitches: Irish and eyelet stitches using Appleton crewel wool Source: Old Sturbridge Village Kit with wool floss: $ 65.00 Graph: $ 12.00
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