I am woman, see my purse...

Oh, the handbag. Where did they come from? And why do women never leave the house without them? I’ve done extensive research, and hope to answer some of these age-old questions. Ok, well maybe not extensive, but hopefully enough to satisfy some curiosity (or at least Marsha’s).

Handbags. Purses. Whatever you call them, women have them. The earliest written records mentioning handbags date back to the 14^th century, though it is interesting to note that Egyptian hieroglyphs show a much earlier model of the famous (or infamous?) 1990’s fanny pouch. In the beginning of handbag history, bags were a sign of wealth more than an effort to be practical. I note that not much has changed…

These bags continued to evolve and, by the 16^th century they began to be seen as a more practical piece of the wardrobe, as travelers would use large cloth bags worn diagonally across the body to carry supplies for their journey. By the 17^th century, both fashionable men and women were using them. They began to appear in smaller, more interesting shapes and with intricate stitched artwork on them.

By the 18^th century, women were starting to wear less “under-clothing” (due to neo-classical clothing) and wearing a purse would ruin the look of their clothing. This is when women started to have a different bag for every occasion and fashion magazines all argued about the proper way to carry these bags.

In the early 1900’s, handbags were beginning to be designed (by jewelers) to carry opera glasses, fans, and cosmetics. In the 1920’s, bags no longer needed to match the outfit perfectly. In the 1940’s, because of the war and a shortage of products such as zippers, leather, and mirrors, manufacturers used supplies such as plastic and wood to make purses. With the end of the war, “important” designer houses (Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hermes) began to grow.

Now, there is an endless variety of purses as well as infinite uses for them. You can spend hundreds of dollars for brand name designs, or save your cash and buy a cheap knock-off. Some women use them for carrying the strictly practical things of life. Others wouldn’t want to ruin their designer leather with a sweating water bottle, leaky hand lotion, and a Swiss Army knife. But whatever your tastes, there is guaranteed to be a purse out there to suit you!