Wholesale Antique embroidered towel holder "Anne" – trousseau linen, circa 1900–1930

Linen was not chosen simply. It was prepared, embroidered and passed down. This towel holder belongs to that very intimate world of the woman’s trousseau, patiently assembled before marriage, in which each piece had its function but also its refinement. Made from an old white cloth whose appearance and weave suggest a blend of linen and cotton, it features remarkable whitework embroidery. The upper part is framed by a delicate drawn-thread work, then adorned with bouquets and small flowering branches worked in openwork embroidery and satin stitch. In the center appears what gives the piece its full character: the name “Anne,” embroidered in an elegant cursive script and accompanied by a small floral motif. This name is not mere decoration. It recalls the primary purpose of these linen items: to identify the personal linen of the woman to whom it belonged. In family homes, linen was marked, monogrammed or sometimes embroidered with its owner’s name. The textile forms a pouch intended to hold the folded personal towel, which was kept there between meals. An object now almost vanished from our habits, the towel holder was among those small domestic accessories to which great care was once given. The drawn-thread work, the floral white embroidery, the handwriting of the name and the overall design point to a creation from the first part of the 20th century, between 1900 and 1930. Dimensions: about 29 cm in length by 12 to 13 cm in width. The textile bears discreet traces of its age, a few small marks and old shades appearing notably near the borders. Anne. More than a century later, her name is still there.