A Jolly Good Find!

I found the most delightful purse at the Goodwill last weekend. Jammed into a cluttered bin with assorted brown vinyl wallets, damaged clutches and stained makeup bags waited this gorgeous hand stitched silk petit point purse. I picked it up and could not put it back down! This needlework is so fine it is almost unbelievable that somebody did this by hand. The best I can count with my failing eyesight, there are at least 32 stitches per linear inch -- that's over a thousand stitches per square inch. Remarkable! The design is on both back and front, and also all around the side panel. There is silk piping around the edges. I can't find any stains, inside or out. It is like it was never used. The feel is luxurious. The thrift store price? Four dollars.


The brand is Jolles Originals, made in Austria. I looked up the brand, and was happy to find a new website proclaiming:
 "Simple, quiet elegance. This was the message my great grandmother, Ida Jolles, communicated when she founded Jolles Original in 1923 Vienna. Her handbags reflected her life. She embodied beauty, brilliance, and strength; her products communicated refinement and sophistication. In 2014, inspired by her life and message, we are relaunching my great grandmother’s company. Jolles Original was a luxury brand in the mid twentieth century. Her purses sold in high end stores, and are collectors’ items today."  

I don't know whether to keep it or to sell it. There are avid purse collectors who would enjoy having it in their collection, I'm sure. And I don't know if I'd want to use it and put anything inside this pristine lining. The only indication I see that anybody ever had it open is that there are some pinholes in the silk lining, as if somebody had pinned a few brooches inside for safekeeping.

There is a book in the works with the story of Ida Jolles, and I'm going to keep an eye out for it. I would be interested to read how she defied convention to build this company.

In just a few years, Ida Jolles had created a needlepoint production system that extended throughout Austria, eventually employing over 20,000 craftswomen. This was an astonishingly early example of what business leaders would now call “a distributed and flexible workforce”.

By the late 1930s, Jolles Original products dominated many fashion and home furnishing categories. International distribution was key to the business’ strategy and success, and Ida Jolles was the driving force behind it all.

In the United States, the Jolles brand was carried by the most elegant department stores and boutiques, including Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, Macy's, Marshall Fields, and more. 

I'd love to know what year my purse is from. Somewhere in the 1930's to 1950's range, I think. Here is an enlargement of the needlework so you can see the detail. The colors are intense, with subtle shading. To keep, or to sell. What would you do?

Oh, and keep an eye out for Jolles Originals as a newly launched brand in 2014!