2-832-504 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

A purse with leather handles made from woven grass like a basket, with the floral pattern on the front and lid executed with green cotton embroidery floss for the leaves, and woven fiber balls for the flower buds or berries. The flat lid of the basket opens at the center front with a leather and metal tab clasp. Strips of tan leather are attached with metal grommets around the sides and bottom of the basket, corresponding in placement to the short tan leather handles. Mae Reeves (1912-2016) was a pioneering African-American milliner who was famous for her custom-made hats. Her business, Mae's Millinery Shop in downtown Philadelphia, was one of the first shops in the city to be owned by a woman of African American heritage.