| ‘WAKEN BEGGAR’ - Pingle Bag V |
‘Waken Beggar’, the name we’ve given this bag, is bleakly evocative. It refers to poor or worthless land - the kind that would reduce its owner to beggary - and echoes traditional field names such as ‘Beggar’s Bush’ or ‘Beggar-at-the-Door’.
Pieced together from remnants of 1800s grain sacks, the bag is beautified by original mends and patches - evidence that the rural poor first looked to repair rather than replace. Its face is aptly barren: a single panel of antique hemp featuring the date 1898, accompanied by our block-printed signature - an earthbound and celestial plough. A couple of circular patches in paler hemp, beautifully cross-stitched, add interest and authenticity.
In contrast, the bag’s rear panel is a patchwork of remnants. The largest boasts original stencilling, partly obscured by a rustic repair.
Like all our ‘Pingle Bags’, it’s adorned with a field-found relic befitting its name - in this case, a bronze pauper’s ring, stitched to the bag’s body and framed by a patch. The ring was unearthed in a Dorset meadow, having slipped from the finger of a farm worker a century or two before.
Features include a heavy duty, antiqued brass zip; Irish linen lining in brown and blue stripes; an internal patch pocket; and an adjustable leather strap repurposed from antique luggage. The strap retains its original housing and metal buckle, and is conditioned with a blend of wax, tallow, and oil.
Dimensions: H 26cm x L 39cm x W 6cm
Created by artists Janet Tristram & Cameron Short in our rural workshop.
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