In the eighteenth century, both men and women carried accessories in their pockets that were designed to hold personal papers and currency. Many were decorated with counted thread needlework. The ground fabric, generically known as canvas, was frequently embroidered in colored wool yarn. 

Technical notes and description: Wool yarn; linen canvas; wool lining; wool binding. This single envelope pocketbook with three interior paperboard separated compartments is covered with bright teal wool. The decorative exterior, bound and secured with a greenish wool tape, is worked in Irish, cross, and tent stitches in a design of carnations and a five-petal blue flower. Pink, purple, green, gold, and blue are the primary colors.

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff. American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.