Japanese Sagemono-style Purse with Netsuke

A bag the size of this Japanese pouch was perfect for tucking away the amethyst scent bottle also shown in the Dressing the Lady category. Designed to be tobacco pouches, bags like this became stylish purses for Gilded Age women following the fashion for Asian furnishings and accessories popularized by the display of Japanese objects at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Attached to the pouch is a netsuke, a small decorative sculpture or figure used to fasten things to kimono sashes.