Owned by
Old Slave Mart Museum, American, founded 1937
Used by
Toomer, Eliza Abigail, American, 1843 - 1906
Owned by
Morrison, Mary Belle, American, 1872 - 1968
Date
ca. 1860
Medium
thread, mounting board, cardboard, wood, glass, metal, paper, ink, and tape
Dimensions
H x W x D: 18 × 16 3/4 × 1/2 in. (45.7 × 42.5 × 1.3 cm)
Description
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. It is discolored and stained in several areas. There are also some torn areas along the edges. There is a nail in the back of the frame.
Place made
McClellanville, Charleston County, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
Place collected
Charleston, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Textiles and Quilts
Type
handkerchiefs
whitework
Topic
Craftsmanship
Domestic life
Skilled labor
Slavery
U.S. History, 1815-1861
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2017.108.17.3
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5fe03bf47-de22-44f7-96c9-2b662b83ac10

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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