"Lady's Work-Bag. To be worked with shaded ribbon"
Date1780-1830
Owned by
Lady Jean Skipwith (1747/8-1826)
Owned by
Helen Skipwith (1789-1864)
MediumInk on paper
DimensionsOH 8 5/8" x OW 10 7/8"
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number2002-22,2
DescriptionThis is an engraved pattern sheet entitled "Lady's Work-Bag. To be worked with shaded ribbon".Label TextA variation of this pattern first appeared in the November 1779 issue of the Lady's Magazine. This pattern is likely a copy published by another magazine such as Walker's Hibernian Magazine.Stitched in Time:
Women frequently carried work bags. Lost and found notices in newspapers detail what was being stored in them -- money, thimbles, knitting needles, shawls, gloves, handkerchiefs, pocketbooks, glasses, and fans.
These functional bags were often decoratively embroidered. A version of this workbag pattern was first published in 1779. While it suggests ribbon embroidery, surviving workbags include designs in silk, metallic thread, and spangles.Provenance1780-1826, made by Lady Jean Skipwith (Mecklenburg County, VA); 1826, passed by descent to Helen Skipwith (Mecklenburg County, VA); late 1980s, sold at auction at Kearsage House (Albemarle County, VA); Frank Gilliam Rare Books (Charlottesville, VA); 2002, purchased by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)
