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During the first half of the twentieth century, petit point and tapestry purses were a sought-after European import. Austria and France served as the leading exporters of petit point, a fine needlepoint embroidery on canvas. Makers took inspiration from paintings, literature, historic tapestries, such as the fifteenth-century Lady and the Unicorn, and engravings dating back to the seventeenth century. Purses displayed imagery from pastoral landscapes and mythological figures to courting scenes. Skilled needleworkers embroidered petit point purses on fine cotton or linen using wool, linen, or silk threads. Finely made bags contain 900 to 3,000 stitches per square inch. Fine metal frames impressed with ornate designs and embellished with pearls, jewel-like stones, and enamel enhanced these exceptional bags. Petit point purse with LeViste family tapestry scene c. 1920s Austria thread, fabric, metal The Purse Museum / Vicki Schwager L2015.2302.016 This image was posted on March 11, 2016.

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