Not on view
Purse
Artist: Gorham Manufacturing Company (active Providence, Rhode Island, 1831-present)
Date: 1875-1920
Medium: Silver, beads, silk
Dimensions:
Overall: 6 1/8 x 6 1/4in. (15.6 x 15.9cm)
Markings: "Sterling, anchor, lion, C or G"
"Gorham"
Credit Line: Proctor Collection
Object number: PC. 716.3
Label Text
As a high end fashion accessory commercially produced, beaded purses have enhanced American women’s fashion since the 1820s. Floral designs are typical and a bag can be dated by the shape, size and the placement of the design. In the early twentieth century, beaded bags with ornate frames became the latest fashion. Heavily embellished, enameled, and engraved frames to which the beaded purses were attached were made of silver or sometimes nickel, ivory or even gold by other manufacturers who rarely marked their work. Gorham produced few purse frames, making this labeled example uncommon.
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