Those who know me know I have a fairly extensive collection of vintage and antique mesh and beaded purses, mostly dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries. I am a member of the
Antique Purse Collectors Society, some of whose members' collections rival those of world museums. There are members within the society whose knowledge of purses through history have led to reference books highly regarded on the subject among collectors. We even have members who are still preserving the art of hand beading and restoring these gems today.
Capturing the essence of spring in the designs with flowers and birds, I thought I'd share a small portion of my beaded purse collection - just one type of the many purses I've collected - which reflects the skill of these little works of art. Grab a drink and get ready for lots of photos. I hope you enjoy!
Many of my purses have come directly from long-time collectors' collections (noted within this post,
from the collection of), including those pictured immediately above (tulips, Czechoslovakian), and below, both from the Evelyn Haertig collection. The handbag below is featured on page 74 of her reference book titled, "
Restoring and Collecting Antique Beaded Bags".
Other handbags in my collection have been scoured from online websites over the years. As is true with any collection, trying to buy nearly perfect examples is key. I am showing some of my best examples of florals and birds, but I have plenty of lesser examples from my early years of collecting.
The example pictured below (roses) has a chatelaine clip (worn on the waist), and is framed in sterling with British hallmarks, monogrammed 'Anne Vaughan Heins'. It has a push button opening. Although the bag is in very good condition, it has no beaded fringe (but probably did at one time). Replacing fringe is an acceptable restoration in the eyes of handbag experts if done professionally.
Glass beads used in antique purses were primarily manufactured in Venice, Italy, and in Czechoslovakia. Value of purses is dependent on size of beads used (smaller = generally more valuable). Most examples are either hand knitted. woven, embroidered, netted or crocheted, worked in a horizontal and vertical looping technique. Hand knitted beaded purses were mostly made in Germany, historically speaking. The purse below depicts chrysanthemums, and one notable flaw is a few missed counts in bead colors used on the yellow mum (see approximately halfway through the flower and the horizontal line).
The example below has various florals including iris, forsythia, carnations, roses and morning glories, with a twisted loop fringe. Fringe styles can often denote German makers' origin and can be determined by the trained eye (I am not that trained!). The styles of fringe include ball and tassel, plain or twisted loop, plain stick or stick and loop, basket weave, or some combination of these mentioned.
Pictured below is a primarily white glass beaded bag with roses and violets, and a unique, Italian micro mosaic frame. Desirability among collectors can be increased significantly not only by smaller beads in the bag's body, but also when frames used to attach the bags are unusual or jeweled. Jewels may be semi-precious or precious. Precious metal frames, and marked frames by noted jewelers such as Cartier or Tiffany are prized. Other frames can be made of brass, tortoise shell, bakelite or celluloid.
The bag below was machine made (roses and peacock with a celluloid, gate mouth frame), and has a basket weave fringe. The lining is cotton, but many finer purses are typically lined in silk. The bag is in good condition and has a nice, intricate fringe, but would be of lesser value than a handmade bag of similar design.
The example below is knitted columbines - a lesser common floral theme - with a twisted loop fringe, from the collection of Mary Littiken.
Elaborate tassels are part of the appeal on the reticule (drawstring) with roses bag below. It was made in France.
Many French-made beaded bags were made from cut steel beads. The handbag pictured below is one such example, with a Cupid center medallion and rose bordered design, from the collection of Shara Stewart. The fringe is stick and ball, with a push button opening. Steel beaded bags can be determined by testing with a magnet. If the magnet does not stick, the bag is likely made of aluminum beads - another, more modern bead.
The handbag below has a predominantly brown background glass bead, with roses and other florals, a jeweled frame, kisslock opening. From the collection of Lori Blaser.
The French-made handbag below has a beautifully draped knitted body with floral spray, and a coral and gilt frame, push button opening.
The frame on the bag below is 800 sterling silver, with a cherub harvest design frame and floral baskets for the chain, predominantly roses in the body (beaded tassel fringe on ball are missing).
Another example below shows beaded florals and fruits on enameled and jeweled frame, kisslock opening, and simple stick fringe, from the collection of Mary Nunn.
The bag below, while missing its fringe, is desirable because it is a Tiffany sterling frame. The lilacs are a less common floral design found, also increasing the desirability for collectors.
Some floral beaded purses take on more complex designs, such as the scenic beaded purse with garden, gates, staircase, lake and trees with jeweled frame, push button opening shown below. From the collection of Shara Stewart. The scene is repeated on the reverse, as are all of the bags in this post, unless otherwise noted.
Also from the collection of Shara Stewart (and probably a top favorite in my personal collection) is a rare example of a two-sided, beaded scenic garden and lake. Side one depicts people in boat on the lake, with jeweled fob closure.
Side 2 depicts lake with sailboats, and floral path to the water.
Detail of the jeweled fob.
Other beaded handbags appeal to me for the combination of florals with birds, as in the example of floral and macaw bird reticule below.
The beaded bluebirds and cherry blossoms, while a favorite for its design, is another example of a machine made handbag.
Lastly, another example of beaded bluebirds on branches with florals. The intricacy of the design appeals to me for its realistic capture of the birds and flowers. From the collection of Kathy Gunderson.
My first advice for any would-be purse collector would be to seek out what you love. These handbags all appealed to me for my love of gardening - florals and birds. I have several categories of the types of purses I love and have collected, most of which may be seen on
my Pinterest account on separate boards by their category (such as antique beaded purses, mesh purses, children's purses, etc.).
I hope you enjoyed this portion of my purse collection, and that it has provided a bit of spring gardening inspiration for you. If you have any questions concerning this or the Antique Purse Collectors Society, I will be happy to answer or refer you to one who can if I do not have the answer. If you do not want to comment below, feel free to email me:
wv.panoply@gmail.com. As always, thank you for your readership!
Rita C. at Panoply
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