3 1/4” x 2 1/2”. Decorated in five panels. Four rows of roses on white lattice field. The fifth (edge) in scrolling geometry. All executed in cross stitch, diagonal stitch, the flower heads gathered. The button bag is mentioned by Kipling in The Drums of The Fore and Aft. They served as sewing kits with a needle, thread and buttons. Truly were labors of love made by sweethearts and were given before deployment, with a personal memento inside, often (as in Kipling) a lock of her hair. Most English soldiers carried one but nearly all have perished and this is the first we have seen outside of a fully preserved kit. The technique is as found on late 18th to early 19th century samples and this example may safely be dated to the Napoleonic Wars. Excellent with good colors.
