Lady's workbox made by prisoners of war

Category

Museums & Galleries Item

Item no

52407

Title

Lady's workbox made by Prisoners of War at Edinburgh Castle, c. 1815

Description

One wooden workbox for a lady's sewing equipment, made by French prisoners of war at Edinburgh Castle. The box is made to resemble a book with a curved spine. The outside of the box is made of wood with straw inlay in different colours and patterns. On the lid and sides are glass fronted panels of painted scenes; on the lid is a scene with men working with barrels, the front has a view of a river with a bridge and houses, and the side panels depict a basket of roses. The base has a panel with a river scene with a barge with two men and a cow. Inside the box, there is a small mirror inside the lid, and two compartments with separate hinged doors, each with a glazed painting of a man and a woman in fashion of the Regency period. The doors open to show one compartment the width of the box, and two smaller ones at the front. The lid is held open by two strips of straw.

Accession number

HH871/33

Copyright

The City of Edinburgh Council Museums & Galleries

The box was probably made by a prisoner of war kept at the jail at Edinburgh Castle. It would have been made for selling at stalls within the Castle, enabling the prisoners to earn a little money.

The box is a lady’s workbox for sewing equipment. Made of straw, it is exceptionally delicate and fragile. The scenes painted all around it are of everyday life - baskets of flowers, peaceful villages and people at work. Are they showing the prisoner’s hometown? Who or what was he missing the most?

At the height of the Napoleonic War around 1815, there were thousands of soldiers and sailors from enemy states held captive in Britain. Some men were not kept in prison, but were billeted in private homes, while some were kept in more traditional prisons and castles, like at Edinburgh. The conditions under which they were kept depended on those responsible for them. A little money was given to cover food, clothing and accommodation costs for the prisoners but not all spent it as they should.

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