Black velvet handbag with embroidered

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A black silk velvet handbag with embroidered sunflowers. The bag is composed of one panel of black silk velvet that’s been folded width-wise then sewn along the bottom with a running stitch in a circle formation, creating a bucket-like shape. Both the front and back of the purse has a central floral embroidery design. Yellow French knots made with cotton embroidery floss create sunflowers. They are surrounded by satin stitches made with green and red chenille yarns and the sunflower stems are made from green French knots. The entire central design creates a vase-like shape. Two panels of pink synthetic satin line the inside of the bag and it’s gathered with an elastic band at the bag’s opening. A 15” long length of gold braided synthetic trim is used to create a strap. It’s handstitched into place at the interior sides. A metal snap closure is hand sewn to the interior front and back.

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