Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III, was an expert in the art of needlework and passed many an hour with her embroidery. In fact, her love of needlework was so great that she was a financial patron of a school for “Embroidering Females.”
Needlework Pocketbook Embroidered by Queen Charlotte, 1781 with implements of gold and mother-of-pearl The Royal Collection |
The purse was lined in pink satin and contained an assortment of gold and mother-of-pearl implements which would have been useful to any lady of the day. The contents included scissors, a spoon, a pencil, a ruler, a knife, a compass, assorted ear spoons and scoops, and a bodkin. In this instance, the bodkin was not meant to be used as an implement of war, but rather as a device used to make holes in fabric or leather.
This attractive (and handy) gift remained in Mrs. Delaney’s family for many years until it was somehow acquired by Queen Mary who spirited it back to Windsor Castle.
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