The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam houses an ivory-coloured, Indian shawl made of cotton crêpe. It measures 137 x 114 cm and is decorated with sprigs of flowers with a green leaf, embroidered in silk. It is dated to the late eighteenth century. A wooden block was probably used to transfer the outline of the motif to the cloth.
A casket with ebony veneer and decorated with embroidery on the lid and its four sides is housed in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. It dates to c. 1650 and was produced in England. It measures 25.5 (h) x 27.2 (w) x 35 (l) cm. The embroidery is carried out with gold and silver thread, and silk. The embroidery shows various landscapes.
The collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam includes a photograph, taken in the early twentieth century, of a woman sitting at a table and doing crochet. The photograph was part of a family album with photographs of wine seller Kraaij & Co.(Bordeaux - Amsterdam). The table is covered with a cloth made of tape lace.
An eighteenth century coif made of yellow silk and decorated with floral patterns is housed in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. The coif was made in The Netherlands, sometime around 1750-1775. It measures 20 x 20 cm. The decoration is carried out in embroidery with multi-coloured silk and silver thread. The coif is lined with linen.
A gamester's purse that is embroidered with gold and silver thread and silk is housed in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. It was probably made in France and dates to the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. It measures 9.5 x 8.2 cm. The lining is made of goat leather.
The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam houses a fragment of a gold and silk embroidered orphrey (in Dutch: aurifries) that was made in the Netherlands and dates to c. AD 1550. The medallion contains an embroidered illustration of the Flight to Egypt. The fragment measures 47 x 21.5 cm and is worked in the or nué style.
The Fashion Museum started its life as the Museum of Costume, which was opened on 23 May 1963. It is based on the collection of Doris Langley Moore designer, author and collector. The Museum changed its name to the Fashion Museum in 2007. It is housed in the Assembly Rooms in Bath, England. It focuses on historical, fashionable items of dress from Europe.
A lady carrying a decorated (embroidered?) balantine, which is a women's handbag suspended from a long cord from the belt and swinging back and forth at knee-height, is illustrated in the 17th August 1798 issue of the Journal des Dames et des Modes (Paris, 1797-1839).
The 31 March 1800 issue of the Journal des Dames et des Modes contains an illustration of a lady dressed according to the latest Parisien fashion, and carrying a reticule, or small handbag, which was often delicately embroidered. The illustration is entitled 'Costume Parisien'. The journal was published in Paris between 1797 and 1839.
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam houses a pair of high-heeled, leather and green velvet shoes that date to c. 1700 and were made in The Netherlands. They are decorated with silver thread passementerie and floral motifs embroidered with silver thread. The shoes measure 21.8 x 7.7 cm. The heels are 9.5 cm high.
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The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam houses a pair of leather and open-weave linen shoes (8.5 x 3 cm) that date to the first half of the nineteenth century (c. 1825-1850). The uppers of the shoes are embroidered with flowers and branches. The embroidery is carried out in tent stitch (or possibly cross stitch). The shoes have a flat sole (no heels) and square toes. The upper edge of the inside of the shoe is strengthened with a tape.
A pair of decorated women's shoes made of linen and dating to the 1840's or 1850's, is housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. The shoes have a square toe, and the upper and tongue are ornamented with a red silk trim and glass beads.
The Victoria and Albert Museum in London houses a pair of remarkably well-preserved leather shoes from medieval Egypt. The shoes, which originally may have been purple or red, are decorated with gilding (gold leaf) and embroidery, using linen and silk (?) thread. The shoes measure 26 x 8 cm, with a height of 7 cm.
In the seventeenth, and especially in the eighteenth centuries, knotting was a popular pastime for ladies. They would also sometimes walk around with a nice small bag with a drawstring, held from their wrist, that contained shuttle and thread, and braids in various stages of completion.