Green beaded evening bag belonging to Etta Moten Barnett: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This is a green beaded evening bag belonging to Etta Moten Barnett. The bag is a rectangular clutch with a flap over the opening. The flap closes with a magnetic snap closure. The exterior of the bag is covered in tiny dark green beads sewn into swirling patterns. The interior of the bag is lined in cream colored silk. There is light staining on the silk along the top hem of the flap interior. There is text impressed into the silk on the interior back panel of the bag. It reads “MADE IN BELGIUM / BY HAND / WALBORG.” There is a small ‘W’ within a circle topped by a crown over the ‘W’ in Walborg.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1945-1970
• Manufactured by: Walborg Corporation, founded 1941
• Owned by: Etta Moten Barnett, American, 1901 - 2004
• Type: clutch bags
• Medium: silk (fiber) with beads , metal
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 4 3/4 × 9 7/16 × 9/16 in. (12 × 24 × 1.5 cm)
• Place made: Belgium, Europe
• Place used: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Broadway Theatre
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Fashion
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Topic: Women
• Object number: A2022.13.1.56
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Unknown – Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.