Women began carrying reticules on their arm in the 1790s, as pockets fell out of fashion wih the slim Regency dress sihouette. Beaded reticules from Czechoslovakia were popular in North America after WWI; the lapis lazuli beads and elaborate metalwork on this example would have satified an Art Deco love of exoticism and luxury. The original owner, Jane Mackay, was a skilled seamstress known for her fashion flare and must have cut quite a figure in small town Nova Scotia with this purse.