A Blessing of Beads
In June 2008, I was blessed to be contacted by a woman whose grandmother had been a beaded purse maker. She wanted to have several of her grandmother’s purses restored, and she sent them to me in a large antique box.
I was impressed with the colors and workmanship of the purses. They were large, intricately detailed bags with very thick, lush fringes, and lovely faceted beads in rare colors. The owner had included several old boxes of matching beads to enable me to do exact repairs.
During our correspondence, I asked if she had any more beads that she might wish to trade for my services. She said she had a large lot of beads that had belonged to her grandmother, and she and her husband would bring them in person to me in August, as they traveled to visit relatives in this area. I have learned not to get too excited when people say they have “lots” of anything- beaded purses, beads, frames- that they will bring to me. Generally, I end up disappointed and seldom take home anything of value.
I met this couple on a Friday morning in the lobby of their hotel, and almost fell through the floor when her husband came along, wheeling a dolly with a huge plastic bin full of boxes of antique beads! We sat together in the vacated hotel dining room, and opened boxes and tissue paper rolls full of master hanks of gorgeous antique beads. Here were colors and finishes that I have searched out for twenty years, and we had only opened a small sampling of what was in the box. I tried to keep my composure, but as I saw more of what was in this bin full of beads, I just cried. I couldn’t help myself. I felt that God had blessed me in such a big way, it was like being “run over” with abundance- this was beyond anything I could have hoped for! Unsure of what they would require for these beads, I cried all the more when she simply wanted me to repair the purses that her grandmother had made, as I had time to do them. I offered to repair purses for her and her daughter’s lifetime, should I live that long, and provide everything for free, including postage, purse frames, and anything else they may require.
Once home, I carried the plastic tub into my living room, and cleared the floor. I opened over 75 boxes and 25 rolls full of beads (see photo of beads). For three days, I sorted through little bunches and packets of beads that were grouped together inside these wonderful old cardboard boxes. Some of the boxes contained smaller Prince Murad cigarette boxes full of different beads. Others contained multiple paper bags full of tiny beads.
They were all meticulously labeled by color, and also by
the design element the color was used to create. For example, I found “dark
mountain” green, and “scarf” red, “lace” white and “flesh” beige. “Pants” and
“road” are two different shades of brown. I was also pleased to see that we
often agreed on colors. I would open something and say, “this looks like
gunmetal” and then see where she had written “gunmetal” on the package.
I reorganized my existing bead cases into more color divisions. This collection of beads required an additional twelve cases of beads to be added to my existing collection, and has allowed me to create cases of colors that I have longed for, but never had enough of, to use properly. For example, there have been a few bead colors that I have termed “The Holy Grail” of beads. Olive green, also known as Deco or bottle green, is one of those rare colors. This color is a dark, drab brownish green that is available in larger sizes, but almost impossible to find in the range of 15/0-18/0, the most needed sizes in antique fringe and purse repair. I now have an entire case of various sizes of this color of green. I was also able to create a case for “pumpkin, squash, butterscotch, and caramel”- colored beads. Yummy! These opaque beads have been elusive in smaller sizes, and I now have a nice selection to help create perfect matches for a variety of purses. Have you seen that tiny background bead color that is used in very old, primitive purses of the 1800’s, that is a milky opalescent color in about a size 18/0-20/0? I have searched for years and had to save trimmings off of the edges of various old bags that were framed, to have any of these beads at all. I now have a large bag full of these wonderful beads, and have already used some on a very old coin purse for an excellent, exacting repair.
I emailed Paula Higgins immediately to tell her of the news, and she was as excited as I was. She encouraged me to let the APCS members know about these beads. I also wanted to take the opportunity to learn more about the life and thoughts of a purse maker. As collectors, we spend so much time searching out these treasures, but how much do we identify with, and understand the lives of the women who created our treasures? This blessing has given me a rare chance to glimpse into her life and share her bounty of a lifetime of purse making with you, as modern day collectors. This lady left a legacy of beads and other supplies to her granddaughter, who brought and has shared some of her treasures with me this past month, and I would like to share them with you.
The Purse Maker- Jane Hawkins Hay
Jane Hawkins Hay, 1871-1956, was the daughter of a wealthy, prominent Michigan family. Her parents were involved in the lumber and railroad industries, and lived in a very luxurious four-story Victorian home with a wraparound porch in Saginaw, Michigan. This home featured the most modern amenities of the day, and the best furnishings money could buy. Jane was called “Dearie” by her friends and family. She married Dr. Harry Joseph Cummings and moved to St. Louis, Missouri as an adult.
Her
interest in beaded purses began with her great-grandmother, who created them as
a hobby. Jane learned how to hold the beads and crochet them from an old Dutch
woman in St. Louis. Jane created many original designs for her bags, and
created patterns from famous tapestries and rugs. An article that her
granddaughter sent to me, from the St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat, describes
much about Jane’s purse making process and accomplishments. As I am sitting
here writing this, I just noticed that the date of the article is “Saturday
Morning, December 25, 1937”- Christmas morning!
The article states, “to get a better idea of the workmanship and skill that goes into the making of one of these bags, one must realize that almost 100,000 beads are used and the average working time spent on one of the bags is 400 hours. While working on a bag, Mrs. Cummings has between 60 and 80 colors on her table. Because there are too many of these to have actual color names for them, she has given each color a name associated with the use to which she puts it, such as “light arm”, “dark tree”, “very light hair”, or “medium water”. Each of these is filed in a little ledger with a neat little row of the corresponding colored beads after it (see photo of a ledger book).
This
1937 article is titled “Costly Beaded Designs Are in the Bag” and the subtitle
reads “Mrs. H.J. Cummings charges $300 for her beautifully designed masterpieces
of craftsmanship”. According to the website MeasuringWorth.com, $300.00 in the
year 1937 has the same purchase power as $4331.66
in the year 2007. The article describes
her purses are being made with the “finest of imported beads”. Jane’s purses
were so lovely that the Queen Mother Mary of England received one for a wedding
present, and it was reported that she carried it on many occasions. Jane sold
almost fifty bags in a thirty-five year time span, and was able to command $300
for her work, in the 1930’s. She would have been considered a master purse
maker, then and now! All told, she made close to eighty bags in her life,
creating only one to three per year as she became older. The article documents
that she still made purses at the age of 66.
She was a delightful writer of
stories, and sent personal letters of advice, wisdom, and whimsy to her
grandchildren. Her granddaughter sent me a stack of her writings, which
were charming, insightful, and relative to our lives today. One of
her stories captures her travels as a young lady on a train trip to Mexico in
the 1890’s. She says “I consider it an act of Providence that I was born when I
was, October 15, 1971, so that I lived in the gay nineties. For gay they were,
never to be forgotten. Always referred to with affection by the many who
enjoyed their youth during that period.”