Yesterday Katie and I went on a little thrifting and fabric trip, hitting up various thrift stores and the fabric store to begin our circle skirt sewing extravaganza.  One of my purchases was this little purse…

Now, I’m not ashamed to admit that my knowledge tends to taper off after 1940.  I have some knowledge of turn-of-the-century furniture antiques, and of Egyptian Revival jewelry of the 1920s, due to my fascination with ancient Egypt, which is why I was drawn to this purse…

More photos after the cut!

It feels like a very soft swede, but I think it is some sort of treated cotton, since it has no other leathery attributes, and there are some spots where the finish as been scraped and there is white underneath.  The clasp isn’t sterling – it is not marked and has no tarnishing. Possibly nickle plate? All of the images on the fabric portion are also slightly etched/carved into the outside.  There are no labels, tags or stamps on the inside either.

So, a wonderful 1920s find? Or some cheap fairly contemporary knock off? Any clues would be much appreciated!