Art Nouveau Barrel Bag — The Heron Collection — 9.5" × 20.8"

The Heron Collection: Art Nouveau Nature in Glass and Silver

The Heron Collection draws inspiration from a late nineteenth-century decorative glass vessel set within an ornate silver-plated holder produced by James W. Tufts of Boston. Tufts — best known today as the founder of Pinehurst, North Carolina — produced elaborate silver-plated wares that were sometimes paired with decorative glass. The ponds, wetlands, and waterways of North Carolina provide a fitting echo of the heron depicted on this vessel, giving the object an unexpected connection to the landscape with which Tufts’s legacy became intertwined. The original object is now preserved in the Mayflower Descendants Museum, founded by American Tapestry founder and creative director Cherie Behrens. Swipe to see the original nineteenth-century heron vessel.

Meet the New American Art Museum Bringing History into Public View Through Art and Artifacts

The Mayflower Descendants Museum is an American art museum whose holdings bring together a wide range of artists and stories—from talented and emerging artists, some of whom may not yet have been represented in museum collections, to artists whose work was overlooked or little known during their lifetimes, to artists represented in some of the world’s most significant institutional and royal collections.

In the latter category, artists represented in the Museum’s collection can also be found in institutions including the Louvre in Paris; the British Royal Collection; the Victoria and Albert Museum; the Royal Shakespeare Theatre Picture Gallery in Stratford-upon-Avon; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Smithsonian; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, among others.

The Museum’s holdings also include works that have never before been on public view, created by both American and international artists whose art, objects, and stories intersect with the broader American story connected to Mayflower descendants—a diverse global population estimated to number more than 35 million.

James W. Tufts — From Boston to Pinehurst

James Walker Tufts (1835–1902) was a successful Boston inventor and manufacturer known for both silver-plated decorative wares and soda-fountain equipment. In the 1890s, Tufts turned his attention south and founded Pinehurst, North Carolina, developing it as a health and recreation resort amid the longleaf pines of the Sandhills region.

Against that history, the heron painted on this vessel takes on unexpected resonance — a waterside bird appearing on an object produced by the company of a man whose legacy would become permanently tied to the North Carolina landscape.

Glass, Silver, and Two Makers

The silver-plated mount bears the James W. Tufts maker’s mark and pattern number, securely identifying the metalwork with his Boston company. The glass itself, however, is unsigned.

That distinction matters. Surviving Tufts objects show that the company sometimes paired its silver-plated mounts with glass produced by other manufacturers. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History preserves a Tufts-mounted dish with a separately manufactured Sandwich glass bowl, as well as a circa-1885 Tufts framework designed to hold a separate glass vessel.

For that reason, the silver-plated mount is identified as James W. Tufts manufacture while the maker of the heron glass remains unidentified.

James W. Tufts in Museum Collections

Objects and archival material connected with James W. Tufts are preserved in major American collections, including the Smithsonian Institution, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.

A Heron Reimagined

American Tapestry brings the Museum’s painted heron forward into contemporary design, drawing from its reeds, water, botanical forms, silver ornament, and Art Nouveau character.

The result connects a nineteenth-century Boston manufacturer, an unidentified glass artist, the natural world, and the North Carolina town that became James W. Tufts’s enduring legacy.

About American Tapestry
American Tapestry, founded by Cherie Behrens, is a heritage-driven lifestyle house inspired by historic art and artifacts connected to the American story—often more than a century old—translated into handbags, travel accessories, home décor, jewelry, glassware, games, furniture, textiles, and more. Every design is created by Cherie Behrens and draws inspiration exclusively from works and objects held by the Mayflower Descendants Museum, which she also founded. 

American Tapestry follows the unexpected threads that connect the Museum’s holdings to American art, artifacts, literature, and cultural history. Not every work that inspires a collection was created by an American artist; some enter the American story through research that reveals their ties to American people, objects, and narratives.

To discover the threads behind each collection, visit the Museum at www.mayflowerdescendantsmuseum.org

Through these holdings, we trace the stitches of America’s past—uncovering connections among people, places, objects, art, literature, and history that together reveal an interwoven American tapestry.

Our mission is simple: to bring historic art, design, artifacts, and the stories that intersect with them forward into the present and into everyday life—bringing often‑invisible history into view.

Connect with American Tapestry

Website: www.thehouseofamericantapestry.com
Instagram: @americantapestryofficial
Facebook: American Tapestry
YouTube: @thehouseofamericantapestry
TikTok: @americantapestry
X: @americantapestr

Connect with the Mayflower Descendants Museum
Website: www.mayflowerdescendantsmuseum.org
Instagram: @mayflowerdescendantsmuseum
Facebook: Mayflower Descendants Museum
YouTube: @mayflowerdescendantsmuseum
TikTok: @mayflowermuseum
X: @MayflowerMuseum

Product features
- Durable high-grade vegan leather exterior
- Spacious single compartment for easy packing
- Vegan top handle plus adjustable shoulder strap with metal clips
- Available in two sizes: 9.5" x 20.8" and 8" x 19"
- Black binding and hardware for reinforced carrying

Care instructions
- Gently wipe it down with a soft, clean, dry cloth if it becomes dirty. Ensure to avoid abrasive materials or harsh cleaners that could damage the surface. For deeper cleans, a mild soap and water solution can be applied sparingly, followed by a thorough drying to prevent water spots