Michele

Herman Wallace

Michele, 1971

Woven cigarette packaging

Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola, Louisiana

This clutch bag is unusual in that it bears a woman’s name. We know nothing of her,
except that she was beloved. Wallace created the design of staggered lines by
careful orchestrating repeated fragments of the image of the camel that
appeared on packages of that brand name.  He paid attention to achieving a balance between the brownish-red of the camel motif and the warm white ground on which it appears. The result is a
purse where horizontality has been dramatized. Though not evident, the purse is lined with suede.       

Wallace spent 40 year in solitary confinement in a 6’ by 9’ feet cell. He was almost certainly innocent. Commonly called “Angola,” the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola is the largest maximum-security prison in the United States. It is widely known for its cruel, plantation-like prison farm. At the request of Franklin Graham, the caskets of Reverend Billy Graham and his wife were made at Angola, and bear the names of Richard Leggett, Paul Krolowitz and Clifford Bowman.