Handkerchief safe made by Frances Glessner’s sister, Helen Macbeth, and presented to her as a Christmas gift in 1885. The white satin pouch with lace trim measures nine inches square and opens to reveal two large pockets for storing handkerchiefs.
The small bits of fabric on the inside were assembled with a variety of decorative stitches, and date to the first half of the 19th century. Frances Glessner wrote the following note which was found inside one of the pockets:
“Old bits of silks and ribbons found in Aunt Maria’s work table which belonged to my grandmother. Made into this case by Helen Macbeth. F.M.G.”
Frances and Helen’s grandmother was Rachel Whitehill Macbeth (1764-1846). She was the daughter of Robert Whitehill, one of the authors of the 1776 Pennsylvania Constitution, and a five term member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from 1805 until his death in 1813. It was through Robert Whitehill that Frances Glessner became a charter member of the Chicago Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, when it was organized on March 20, 1891.