Just Where Did The Handbag Come From?
You may not have not given much thought as to why in fact we carry handbags (or more casually referred to as purses) - much less where they came from. And just how did they became such an integrated part of our culture?
Handbags or purses have certainly taken on many looks over the years. The first appearance of the handbag was during Egyptian times when hieroglyphics showed pouches worn around the waist. Next time we see handbags is in 14th century Europe. These handbags often showed social status based on the embroidery and quality of the bag. At this time purses were more for women mainly and were therefore attached to their girdle.
In the 15th century, both men and women wore purses. They were often ornately embroidered or ornamented with gold. It was also customary for men to give, as a gift to their new bride, a purse embroidered with an illustration of a love story. Later in the century, women, who were now wearing finer dresses, preferred to wear their pouches underneath their skirts.
It was during the 16th century that handbags began being made out of more common materials such as leather and were fastened atop with drawstring. Large cloth bags were introduced and worn by travelers diagonally across the body.
The 17th century brought more complex and elaborate bags. Young ladies were taught skills such as embroidery that gave rise to stitched artwork on purses. Simultaneously, in 1670, men's britches were made with built-in pockets which caused them to stop carrying purses. However, they did carry little netted purses in their pocket to carry money.
In the 18th century, as neo-classical clothing came into fashion, women started carrying their handbags as not to ruin their outfits. Women also possessed more of them, having a certain one for each occasion.
In the early 1900s people began calling their bags - Handbags. This term referred to luggage that men carried. This then inspired women who, in-turn, began carrying bags with complicated fasteners, internal compartments and locks. In the 1920s, it became popular that bags no longer had to match the outfit. During the 1940s, with WWII, women's purses were made of wood and/or plastic in order to preserve metal for supplies. Popular handbag designers we've come to know and love such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Hermes emerged on the horizon in the 1950s; only to blaze a trail for more popular designers to follow. Thus creating this world-wide phenomenon known as - The Handbag! We just can't live with out one!