When the current Vice President of the United States announced her candidacy for President, my creative imagination was instantly captured. I thought about the significance of it, of the hurdles women have leaped, the battles they fought for me to have the right to vote, the right to work, to have my own credit, autonomy over my own body, and how those hard-won rights are being subtracted, not added to. Suddenly, and make no mistake, women are in the middle of the battle again so that we do not continue to lose rights. In no other time in history has a group of citizens in America had rights taken away. I fear more "subtractions" are coming. And so, this very capable female candidate for President stands on some accomplished shoulders of other women in history, shouting in a large, full-throated voice, and with joy saying "We're not going back." The significance truly gripped me.
I knew instantly that the purse I wanted to make would be a traditional cigar box purse. It would feature a label with a certain joyous woman, who I call the suffragist ("suffragette" being a male-appointed term and meant to diminish the movement at the time, but was later embraced by suffragists. You can read about the differences in the terms here). The woman in my label is jubilant, hopeful, and victorious. The purse had to be another "Victory" purse, a theme I have revisited twice before, both times for friends battling breast cancer. (Women fight battles every day in this world.)
There are so many classically feminine elements on this purse. The flowers (yep, a few of those are nail stickers). What celebration of Victory in life lacks flowers? The "calling card" on the back is a reproduction of an actual Victorian woman's calling card. Here, I have printed the call-out to the future. It's either a victory chant or a protest if things happen to not go our way.
Inside, the interior features motifs of stitching and needlework, a popular pastime of generations of women. And that's a 3 inch mirror, to feature the person who carries this purse.
This purse celebrates women. Mature women, especially. I think that's a bit of gray hair on my suffragist.
Oh look! It's shiny too.
Thank you for your interest in my work. XO
P.S.: PLEASE VOTE!!
This purse at the time of this writing, is FOR SALE.
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