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Decorative arts

Wallet

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Type
Decorative arts(Opens in new tab)
Date
ca. 1775
Accession number
L2015.41.66
Maker
Unknown, American(Opens in new tab) (American)
Dimensions
plexi case: 10 x 8 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. (25.4 x 21.6 x 24.1 cm.)
Medium
wool, silk, and cotton
Description
Woolwork fold over wallet in all-over floral pattern on forest green background; wallet contains a handwritten note sewn into interior pocket reads: "Pocket Wallet / Carried through the American Revolution by / Captain Nehemiah Emerson of / Haverhill - Mass. / (Great Grandfather of Sallie / B. Thomas) Wolcott Covington, Kentucky.”
Credit
Jonathan and Karin Fielding Collection
Department
American Art
Find out more
View in the Art Museum catalog(Opens in new tab)
According to the family in which this wallet was descended, it was carried throughout the Revolutionary War by Captain Nehemiah Emerson (1749–1832) of Haverhill, Massachusetts. Emerson fought with the 11th Massachusetts Regiment, and is mentioned by George Washington in a letter of 1780.

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