1955.0003.006 Purse
  • 1955.0003.006 Purse
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Purse (Purse or handbag)

  • Category:

    Textiles (Needlework)

  • Creator (Role):

    Mary Wright Alsop (Knitter)

  • Place of Origin:

    Middletown, Connecticut, United States, North America

  • Date:

    1817

  • Materials:

    Silk; Metal; Leather; Brass

  • Techniques:

    Knit, Sewn

  • Museum Object Number:

    1955.0003.006


  • Complete Details



Object Number

1955.0003.006

Object Name

Purse (Purse or handbag)

Category

Textiles (Needlework)

Credit Line/Donor

Gift of Henry Francis du Pont

Creator (Role)

Mary Wright Alsop (Knitter)
1740-1829
Mary Wright Alsop was born in Middletown, Connecticut in 1740. She was the only child of Joseph Wright (1704-1775) and Hanah Gilbert Wright (1718-1804). Her father was a prosperous farmer and brickyard owner. An only child, she received an education at Sarah Osborn's School in Newport, Rhode Island in 1754. Mary married Richard Alsop (1726-1776), also of Middletown, on April 27, 1760. Richard, from a wealthy New York family, developed a successful business as a Middletown-based West Indies merchant. Mary gave birth to ten children during their 16-year marriage, eight of which survived past infancy. Richard died unexpectedly at the age of 50, in 1776. Richard had made Mary sole administratrix of his vast estate, which took 14 years to settle. Enslaved labor afforded Mary Wright Alsop the time to produce ornamental needlework throughout her adult life. In 1792 Mary sat for a portrait by Ralph Earl, a carte-de-visite of which (1955.0003.021) forms part of the Alsop needlework collection at Winterthur. Mary died in 1829 in Middletown at the age of 89. Mary’s embroideries and knitted objects survive in several museums and private collections.

Place of Origin

Middletown, Connecticut, United States, North America

Date

1817

Mark or Signature or Inscription or Label

1. Signature; front, right hand edge; "M. ALSOP M:A 7" (knit silk threads)
2. Inscription; note card, inside; Purse knit by / My Great Grandmother / Mary Wright Alsop / (wife of Richard Alsop) / for / her Eldest Daughter / Mary Alsop / Lucy Chauncey Alsop" (handwritten, ink)

Materials

Silk; Metal; Leather; Brass

Techniques

Knit, Sewn

Construction Description

Hand-knit

Dimensions (inches)

5 (H) , 2 (W)

Dimensions (centimeters)

12.7 (H) , 5.08 (W)

Object Description

Text available soon.

Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes

[Journal] Krueger, Glee. "A Middletown Cameo: Mary Wright Alsop and Her Needlework.". Connecticut Historical Society Museum & Library Vol. 52, No.3-4 Summer/Fall 1987
Published: pp. 202-203, fig. 30; pp. 125-137, biography of Mary
[Book] Swan, Susan Burrows. 1977 Plain & Fancy: American Women and Their Needlework, 1700-1850.
Published: p.116, pl. 20
[Book] Swan, Susan Burrows. 1995 Plain and Fancy: American Women and their Needlework, 1650-1850.
Published: p. 148, pl. 22
[Book] Miller, Marla R. The Needle's Eye: Women and Work in the Age of Revolution.