Purse-severe

Purse-severe, 1966

Woven cigarette packaging

Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola, Louisiana

Purse-severe is a shoulder bag distinguished for the variety of patterns used in its construction. Its essential unity derives for the consistent use of uniform squares resulting from the weave pattern. Beyond that, patterns vary widely depending on the colors used, the chosen motifs, and the irregular interplay of voids and closed surfaces.

Commonly called “Angola,” the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States. It houses over 6,000 inmates. It is the home of the notorious electric chair dubbed  “Gruesome Gertie.” Featured in the film “Monster’s Ball,” the infamous chair malfunctioned during the attempted execution of black teenager Willie Francis who was sentenced to death for the killing of Andrew Thomas in 1945. Reportedly screaming “Take it Off! Take it Off!” I can’t breathe” from behind his leather hood, Willie gained a little more time to appeal his sentence. The appeal was unsuccessful. He died in “Gruesome Gertie” in l947, and his story is told in the documentary “The Execution of Willie Francis.”