Classification
Description
A lucite clutch bag designed and produced by the American handbag makers, Wilardy, who manufactured bags from 1946 until the late 1970s. This example is colourless with a crystal cut design on all surfaces. It has a domed lid with a metal piano hinge and a silver coloured sprung metal clasp. Wilardy produced a wide range of lucite bags. Lucite is a trade name for polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) also known as acrylic. Sheets of the material were cut to the size needed for the shape of bag. The pieces were heated until flexible and then wrapped and clamped around a wooden form until they cooled. After cooling, the pieces maintained their new shape indefinately. The shaped and formed pieces were assembled using methylene chloride, a co-hesive solvent, which formed bonds between adjacent surfaces, creating a joint as strong as the material itself.
Inscriptions
stamped: "WILARDY" (inside hinge)
Object number
AIBDC : 008098
Date
1970 - 1979 (circa)
Country
Method
Material
Dimensions
Width
225mm
Height
105mm
Depth
58mm
Colour
bag
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clasp
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