Description

Description: This red velvet bi-fold needle case contains a 2 5/8″ x 2 1/8″ Stevengraph of the Crystal Palace in London on the right interior panel. It has a threaded rope border and the words: “A Present from the Crystal Palace” in the sky above the image of the façade and grounds of the palace. A paper pocket for needles is in the center with a label that reads: “Thomas Stevens, Coventry. Warranted by Morris & Yeomans.” There is also a triangular Stevengraph on the left that has an image of a pinned needle and the words: “May Thy Life be Full of Joy”. The exterior of the needle case has a white dove with a letter in its beak and a length of tasseled rope to hold the flap closed.

Overall: 3″ x 4″. Item #AM00362

Stevengraphs are pictures woven from silk, originally created by Thomas Stevens in the 19th century.

The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in its 990,000-square-foot exhibition space to display examples of technology developed in the Industrial Revolution.

Condition: No needles remain, a couple of faint spots on the Stevengraphs, otherwise very good condition.