Upcycled

Thrifted "Melbourne Bags" vintage purse, upcycled with gesso, paint, paper collage, modpodge, sharpies, and inks. Image of Sidonie Matsner Gruenberg and Birdie Gans (both child development experts from the early 20c.) from the Smithsonian uploads to Flickr Commons (see below).

Secondhand bag upcycled with gesso, paints, sharpies, inks, modpodge, krylon. Image of Helen Hamilton Gardener from the US National Archives uploads (see below).

Back of Polka Dot Purse. Thrifted black purse, upcycled by me with gesso, acrylic paints, sharpies, modpodge, paper collage, and krylon. Image of Tennessee Claflin (1844-1923) from the US National Archives photos in Flickr Commons (see below); it's a photo taken by Mathew Brady. For more about Claflin: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Celeste_Claflin

Front of Tennie Claflin Purse. Thrifted black purse, upcycled by me with gesso, acrylic paints, sharpies, modpodge, paper collage, and krylon.

Second-hand Ande purse, upcycled with gesso, paint, modpodge, paper collage, ink, and sharpies. Text says "In every woman there is a Queen. Speak to the Queen, and the Queen will answer.--Norwegian proverb"

Second-hand Ande purse, upcycled with gesso, paint, modpodge, paper collage, ink, and sharpies. Image of a Norwegian woman, c1856-1900, from the Flickr Commons uploads of the Fylkesarkivet i Sogn og Fjordane (see below).

Secondhand purse from eBay, upcycled with gesso, paint, modpodge, paper collage, stencils, sharpies, and inks. Image of suffrage advocate J. Hungerford Milbank from Library of Congress uploads to Flickr Commons (see below). SOLD, 2/11.

Secondhand purse from eBay, upcycled with gesso, paint, modpodge, paper collage, stencils, sharpies, and inks. Image of suffrage advocate J. Hungerford Milbank from Library of Congress uploads to Flickr Commons (see below). SOLD, 2/11.

Second-hand purse (from ebay), upcycled with gesso, paint, modpodge, paper collage, markers, and inks. Image is of child nutrition expert Flora Rose (1874-1959), who was on the faculty at Cornell University from 1907, and co-founded the School of Human Ecology with her partner Martha Van Rensselaer; the photo is from the Cornell University Library uploads to Flickr Commons (see below).

Black thrifted bag, upcycled by me with paint, sharpies, inks, and paper collage. Original image is from the Library of Congress uploads to Flickr Commons (see below).

Black thrifted bag, upcycled by me with paint, sharpies, inks, and paper collage. Original image is from the Library of Congress uploads to Flickr Commons (see below).

Red thrifted bag, upcycled by me with paint, sharpies, inks, and paper collage. Adjectives cut from a discarded and disintegrating paperback novel.

Red thrifted bag, upcycled by me with paint, sharpies, inks, and paper collage. Original image is from the Library of Congress uploads to Flickr Commons (see below)

Secondhand "Andé" purse, upcycled with gesso, acrylics, paper collage, sharpies, modpodge, and krylon. Yes, I know the first exclamation mark is the wrong way up. It just fit the shape of the purse better this way.

Secondhand "Andé" purse, upcycled with gesso, acrylics, paper collage, sharpies, modpodge, and krylon. Image of "Doña Luz," the widow of Pancho Villa, from the Library of Congress uploads to Flickr Commons (see below).

Thrifted black purse, upcycled by me with paint, paper collage, ink, sharpies, modpodge, and Krylon. Image of suffrage bugler Rose Sanderman from the Flickr Commons uploads by the Library of Congress (see below). NFS.

Thrifted black purse, upcycled by me with paint, paper collage, ink, sharpies, modpodge, stencil, and Krylon. Image of suffrage bugler Rose Sanderman from the Flickr Commons uploads by the Library of Congress (see below). NFS. Added to A Month of Gratitude, 11.2.10: Grateful for the right to vote, and grateful that I didn't face any trouble by carrying this political message into the polls today. In some neighborhoods, this might have been enough to get someone hassled.

Grey thrifted purse, upcycled by me with gesso, acrylic paints, paper collage, modpodge, sharpies, and krylon. Image of Rahel Hirsch, the first woman in Prussia to earn the title Professor of Medicine, from the Library of Congress uploads to Flickr Commons (see below).