Title
Panel for a clutch purse
Year/Period
20th century
Region
Singapore
Object Type
Material
Technique
Dimension
Object size: 37.0 x 29.5 cm
Accession No.
2024-00045
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 pair of cartoon characters, possibly Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horsecollar. A tiger surrounded by tall grass was represented in the other. The tiger was among one of Choo’s favoured motifs as it was her Chinese zodiac sign. 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.
