Embroidered bridal handkerchief made by an unidentified enslaved seamstress

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 framed handkerchief. The square handkerchief is made out of a thin off white thread. It was delicately woven and has a decorative border with embroiderd dots, ovals, and scalloped edges. There are many holes of varying sizes on the handkerchief. There are three emroiderd cursive letters in the proper top right corver. They are in a diagonal line and read [AET]. There is a rectangle label in the bottom proper left corner. It has black typed text and reads [ (underlined) BRIDAL HANDKERCHIEF / MADE BY A SLAVE SEAMSTRESS 9/underlined) / FOR - ELIZA ABIGAIL TOOMER / WHO MARRIED - R.L. MORRISON / November 1, 1860 / PRESENTED TO THE OLD SLAVE MART MUSEUM BY / (MISS) MARY BELLE MORRISON. June, 1949. The cloth is mounted to a beige board under glass and in a black wooden frame. The back of the frame is coverd in brown cardboard.

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