Minneapolis Institute of Art

Embroidered pocket

England

Date

18th century

Medium

Linen plain weave, silk embroidery

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

In the 1700s, European women wore pockets as a separate accessory attached to their waists, beneath voluminous skirts and petticoats. These accessories were generously sized – large enough to stash a container of smelling salts, a small bottle of perfume, a clutch of love letters, a portable almanac, perhaps even a pocket microscope. Women’s pockets were elaborately embroidered, despite the fact that they were seen only by the wearer and her intimates. The meandering yellow stitches on this pocket were common in the early 1700s. They were inspired by traditional embroidery from Bengal that featured naturally yellow wild silk on a cream fabric ground. When English tradesmen began importing Bengali fabrics in the late 1600s, local craftspeople quickly imitated these exotic goods. This pocket demonstrates that long-distance trade networks influenced the most intimate everyday objects, even a lady’s receptacle for personal treasures. England

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