Beaded Bag c. 1938

Ralph Atkinson made this watercolor painting of a beaded bag sometime in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. Atkinson was an American painter, designer, and instructor, and while the exact date of this painting is not known, we can assume that it represents a bag typical of the time. Beaded bags like this one were a common fashion accessory for women in both Europe and the United States. As a symbol of femininity and domesticity, the bag speaks to the gendered division of labor at the time, as women were expected to focus on domestic tasks and decorative arts. These bags often showcased a woman’s skill and taste, as well as her social status. The floral motifs of the beads can be traced to both European and American traditions of representing nature and beauty. To understand this image better, you might research fashion history and gender studies of the period. Through examining the painting in its social and cultural context, we can understand how the image reflects the values and norms of its time.