Antique Beaded Purse Gallery


Welcome. This gallery features a small sample of fine quality antique beaded purses from my own collection. Each purse is a unique, handmade work of art, created between 1820-1940.
	Ladies of the past spent months creating each of these treasures from tiny seed beads and silk thread that they knitted into beaded panels, or embroidered bead by bead, to create beautiful designs.
I created this visual sampling of antique beaded bags to familiarize you with this wonderful but dying art form. These purses are an investment in the past, and range in value from $200-3000 each. The average size of most bags is 6-8” wide by 10” long.


Venetian Scenic Fine bead knit scene of Venice, with unusual color scheme of pale blue, orange, reds and purples. Gorgeous use of shading and contrast obtained entirely with tiny seed beads. Jeweled, enameled frame.	Pharoah In the 1920’s, the discovery of King Tut’s tomb created a craze for all things Egyptian, including ladies’ handbags and vanity items. Egyptian-themed beaded bags are highly sought by collectors. This rare example features a celluloid frame in the shape of a headpiece. The beadwork is tambour (chain) -stitched backwards on fine netting, creating intricate patterns comprised of rows of beads.	Austrian Scenic (front) Dated “1820”, this antique beaded purse is a continuous scene that presents a 360° panoramic view of the Austrian waterfront. Made of tiny, faceted glass beads, it sparkles in the light. Intricate details of men in boats, buildings, and Austrian writing at the bottom make this a most desirable purse. (Reverse of Back)

Austrian Scenic (back) Dated “1820”, this purse is a continuous scene that presents a 360° panoramic view of the Austrian waterfront. Made of tiny, faceted glass beads, it sparkles in the light. Intricate details of men in boats, buildings, and Austrian writing at the bottom make this a most desirable purse. (Reverse of Front)	Castle Scenic A fine example of bead embroidery. Castle scenes are very valuable, and were considered status symbols by ladies of the past. They carried their castle bags to parties and enjoyed guessing the origin and location of the castles they each carried, much as we would discuss digital pictures from our friends’ vacations nowadays!	Deco Black Cats This purse may not seem as fancy as the others, but it is a fun example of the later styles of Deco bags, made in the 30’s and 40’s. This bag features a stylized repeating pattern of black cats, with green rhinestone eyes. It is unusually large and oddly shaped, with a wonderful black celluloid frame set with tiny diamonte rhinestones.

Egyptian Figural (male) Unusual use of a Male figure on one side, and a female on the other. This purse is finely knit of tiny beads, showing Egyptian beaded figures bursting out of a sarcophagus? The colors are rich and bright, and the frame is a masterpiece of enameled flowers and colorful stones.(Reverse of Female)	Egyptian Figural (female) Unusual use of a Male figure on one side, and a female on the other. This purse is finely knit of tiny beads, showing Egyptian figures bursting out of a sarcophagus? The colors are rich and bright, and the frame is a masterpiece of enameled flowers and colorful stones.(Reverse of Male)	The Angelus This is a depiction of a famous painting by Millet, called The Angelus. The purse is constructed on a loom, and is made entirely of metal beads with a colorful finish in many bright colors. The size is an unusually large 8 ¼” wide by 12” long.

Medieval Black Forest This enchanting depiction is fascinating to me, with the dark theme of black crosses and lots of symbols in all areas of the purse. I have never seen this design, in twenty years of collecting.	Courting Couple This purse features a typical Victorian courtship scene, which are very desired by collectors. This purse is bead knitted, with a gorgeous jeweled frame featuring lapis, jade and coral.	Indian Rug Design Bright bold colors create a geometric design with a Native American influence.