Plateau Double Sided Beaded Pocketbook with Eagle and Buffalo

This piece is an unusual form for as early as it is. The beads on both sides are very, very tiny faceted beads. It has a rampaging buffalo bull on a blue beaded field on the back and a patriotic eagle holding a stars and stripe shield on a pink beaded field on the front flap. The pocket is leather and the underside of the flap and the back of the pocket are lined in cotton cloth. Normally, I would expect the patriotic eagle and shield to appear during the First World War but the tiny faceted beads are much earlier and were out of fashion by 1910. The idea of a beaded pocketbook also seem more likely around 1900 than earlier. It has two early snaps on the inside of the pocket and a later snap attaching the flap to the bottom of the pocket. The snap part on the flap is missing, as can be seen in one of the pictures. Because of the imagery, the quality of the beadwork, as well as the tiny size of the beads, all make this a really worthy addition to one's collection.

L. 4 ½"; W. 3 ⅛"