Letter case
18th century
Medium
costume & accessories
Classification
costume & accessories
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1925-1-50
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Step into the refined world of 18th-century personal accessories with this intriguing *Letter Case*, a practical yet elegant item from the Smithsonian American Art's Costume & Accessories collection. Dating to the 1700s, this unknown artisan's creation served as a portable pouch for safeguarding correspondence, coins, or small essentials—essential for travelers, merchants, and letter-writing enthusiasts in an era when handwritten notes were the lifeline of social and business connections. Crafted amid the Enlightenment's emphasis on refinement and portability, the letter case exemplifies ever...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...