Tieback, corded tieback with rosette in blue, gold, and black. The tieback consists of a central rosette with two cord loops extending out on either side, and a cord attached to the lower half of rosette. The rosette in the center has two layers of fabric, one brocade and one velvet that create a ruffle around the edge. The ruffles also sandwich the cords in place. On top of the ruffles is a wooden disk that is the form for the center of the rosette. The disk is wrapped in blue, black, and gold thread to create rays emanating out from the center. The center is demarcated by a gold pom-pom. Below the disk is a ring of decorative knots that create a petal effect. The twisted cord has a solid strand of gold wrapped with twisted blue and black, and blue and yellow strands. There are two tassels that have broken off the lower cord. They consist of two wooden beads in graduated sizes, wrapped with trim in the same manner as the disk. In between the beads sit spacers wrapped in gold and blue thread. Below the largest bead is a row of alternating blue, black, and gold tied tassels that form the outer edge of the tassel fringe. Inside the tied tassels the rest of the tassel strings are gold twisted cord. The gold thread that wraps the wooden forms on the rosette and the tassels is breaking off in many places, and the wooden forms are quite brittle. The broken tassels are missing the smallest top bead. Of the two lower cords, the rightmost cord is broken short, it is significantly shorter than the cords of 234919.0055d.
This tieback (part of a set 234919.0055a-k) was donated by the daughters of Walter Tuckerman, a prominent man in the banking, real estate, and naturalist world of Maryland in the 20th century. In his early adulthood, he was part of the Alaskan Border Survey Commission in 1909. His letters home are full of optimism and wonder at the wilderness of Alaska, he even received the honor of a mountain named after him, Mt. Tuck. After he returned from Alaska, he founded The Bank of Bethesda in Bethesda, Maryland. Tuckerman also led the development of the nearby neighborhood of Edgemoor in Bethesda, Maryland. His daughters donated the drapes with a note stating that they came “from our parent’s house” (page 178 of scanned accession file). It is likely that the house in question was the family home called Tuxeden in Bethesda.