Images(5)

Pockets

Date1785-1810

MediumLinens (identified by eye)

DimensionsOL 16 1/8 in.; OW 11 in. (both pockets measure the same)

Credit LineGift of the Valentine Museum, Richmond, VA

Object number2024-343

DescriptionPair of pockets made of striped and solid ribbed linen. Front is made of a finer striped linen and back made of a coarser linen. Pockets have a bell shape with flat top and rounded bottom. Pockets are connected by a length of linen tape sewn at the top. Vertical slit extending from the top to the middle. as ridged vertical stripes. Initials and number cross-stitched on the back of one pocket, “WIS 6”. Back of both pockets are made from two panels of linen with the seam 4 ¾ inches from the top.
Label TextWomen's gowns in the 18th century did not have pockets. Instead, small items were stored in accessory pockets worn underneath the petticoats. This pair of pockets was originally connected by a length of linen tape, which allowed for the pockets to be tied around the waist.

In the eighteenth century, it was common to mark garments with initials and a number, allowing them to be indentified during inventories or laundering. The back of one pocket is cross-stitched with the letters W.I.S. and the number 6, probably the initials of the wearer and the number of pockets she owned.
InscribedInitials and number cross-stitched on the back of one pocket, “WIS 6”.
ProvenancePrior to 1971, Sarah Mercur Albert (Charlottesville, VA); 1971 given to the Valentine Museum (Richmond, VA); 2023-present, given to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)