Title
Panel for a clutch purse
Year/Period
20th century
Region
Singapore
Object Type
Material
Technique
Dimension
Object size: 32.0 x 22.0
Accession No.
2024-00046
Collection of
Alice Choo (1926-2019) sewed this panel, probably with the intention to make it into a clutch purse. In one side of the panel, she depicted a lone cat surrounded by tall grass, with the word “Rose” embroidered below, perhaps in reference to the name of her daughter. The face of a brown dog flanked by laurel wreaths and surrounded by stars was represented in the other. Needlework supplies could be purchased from the itinerant haberdasher, the "jarong man", who travelled from house to house hawking his wares, or from specialised shops. Like most nyonyas, Choo was taught to bead and embroider at home.
