Glamorous Handbags

The modern purse or handbag came about in England during the Industrial Revoluion and the increase in travel by railway. In 1841 the industrialist and confectionery entrepreneur Samuel Parkinson of butterscotch fame ordered a set of travelling cases and trunks and insisted on a travelling case or bag for his wife's particulars. Parkinson had noticed his wife's purse was too small and made from material that would not withstand the journey. He stipulated that he wanted various hand bags for his wife, varying in size for occasions and for them to be made from the same leather as being used for his cases and trunks. H. J. Cave (London) obliged and produced the first modern set of handbags, as we would recognise them including a clutch and a tote (named as 'ladies travelling case'). These are now on display in the handbag museum in Amsterdam. H. J. Cave did continue to sell and advertise the handbags but many critics said that women did not need them and a bags of such size and heavy material would 'break the backs of ladies'. H. J. Cave ceased to advertise the bags from 1865 and concentrated on trunks, though they still make the odd handbag for Royalty. However, his design lives on and the use of leather has not been found to break many ladies backs.
During the 1940s, the rationing of textiles for World War II led to the manufacturing of handbags made of materials like raffia, or crocheted from yarn. Some women crocheted their own small handbags from commercial patterns during the 1940s.
• Men's bags
Men once carried coin purses, and the oldest known purse dates back more than 5000 years, and was worn by a man, Ötzi the Iceman. In early Modern Europe, when women's fashions moved in the direction of using small ornamental purses -- which evolved into handbags -- men's fashions were moving in another direction. Men's trousers replaced men's breeches during the course of the 18th and 19th centuries, and pockets were incorporated in the loose, heavy material. This enabled men to continue carrying coins, and then paper currency, in small leather wallets. Men's pockets were plentiful in 19th century and 20th century trousers and coats, to carry an ever-increasing number of possessions, such as pipes, matches, pocketknives, and so on, and they were an item frequently mended by their wives. Women, on the other hand, have shown a strong demand for larger handbags that carry more items for everyday use.