Handbag

A handbag, commonly known as a purse in North American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag used to carry personal items. People use handbags to keep things like keys, money, phones, and other small items they need during the day.

Handbags come in many shapes, sizes, and styles, made from different materials such as leather, fabric, or plastic. They are an important part of daily life for many people, helping to keep belongings organized and easily carried.

In some places, especially in parts of the U.S., a handbag may also be called a pocketbook. No matter what it’s called, a handbag is a useful and often stylish way to carry personal things.

Terminology

The word "purse" used to mean a small bag for keeping coins. In many English-speaking places, it still refers to a small money bag.

A "handbag" is a bigger bag that carries more than just money, like personal items. In American English, people often use "purse" and "handbag" to mean the same thing. The word handbag started being used in the early 1900s. At first, it usually described bags men carried. Over time, women’s bags became larger and more detailed, and the term stuck for these accessories.

Another name for a woman’s handbag, especially in the United States in the middle of the last century, was "pocketbook."

Origin

During ancient times, people used bags to carry items like tools, supplies, and money. Early bags found in Egyptian burial sites were made of leather and had straps for carrying. The ancient Greeks used small leather and fabric purses called byrsa to hold coins.

One of the oldest known handbags was found with the remains of Ötzi, who lived around 3350 to 3105 BC. In Anglo-Saxon Britain, a fancy leather purse with gold decorations was found in the burial site of King Roewald in Sutton Hoo, Suffolk. It held gold coins and was fastened with a gold belt buckle.

In the Middle Ages, a bag thought to be the oldest surviving handbag was made in Mosul in the early 1300s and may have belonged to a noblewoman from the Ilkhanate.

Until the late 1700s, both men and women carried bags. In the 17th century, young girls learned embroidery to make beautiful handbags. By the late 18th century, women in Europe preferred slender, elegant purses called reticules, made from fine fabrics like silk.

The modern handbag developed in England during the Industrial Revolution. In 1841, Samuel Parkinson asked a maker to create handbags for his wife from the same leather used for his travel cases. This led to the first modern luxury handbags, now displayed in the Museum of Bags and Purses in Amsterdam.

20th century

In the early 1900s, some people thought handbags were not feminine. Before handbags, women kept things in hidden pockets inside their dresses. Handbags changed this because women carried them openly, showing their personal items.

As handbags became more common, they began to show a woman's wealth and importance. The style, material, price, and brand of a handbag became very important. Women's handbags became fashion accessories for holding a few personal items, while men's bags stayed more practical for work items like documents and files.

During World War II, materials were hard to get, so some handbags were made from materials like raffia or crocheted from yarn. Some women even made their own small handbags at home.

Men's bags

The oldest known pouch was worn by a man named Ötzi the Iceman over 5000 years ago. In the past, men used small bags called coin purses to carry money. As clothing styles changed, men began using pockets in their trousers instead of bags.

In the 1970s, designers started making special bags for men again. Today, men have many choices like backpacks, messenger bags, and small shoulder bags. Famous brands such as Prada, Louis Vuitton, Coach, and Bottega Veneta make these bags in many different styles and sizes.

Types

Handbags come in many different styles and shapes. Here are some common types:

• Baguette: a small, narrow, rectangular purse that looks like a French loaf of bread.
• Bowling bag: a sturdy bag from the 1990s with an arched top and zipper closure, often carried by younger women.
• Barrel bag: a cylindrical bag larger than a baguette, with two short handles and no flap.
• Bucket bag: a cylindrical bag with one or two handles and often a shoulder strap, closed with a drawstring.
• Clutch: a small, firm handbag without handles, often used for evening events.
• Crossbody bag: a bag worn across the body, from shoulder to hip, such as a baguette or half-moon bag.
• Doctor's bag: also called a Gladstone bag, modeled after a Victorian doctor's bag, with two sturdy handles but no straps or flap.
• Half-moon bag: shaped like a half-moon, usually smaller and feminine, worn from the shoulder.
• Hobo bag: a soft, crescent-shaped bag with a shoulder or crossbody strap, no handle, and a top zipper.
• Messenger bag: a square or rectangular bag with a long strap worn across the body, inspired by bags used by messengers.
• Minaudière: a type of clutch, often rigid and worn as evening wear.
• Reticule: a small drawstring handbag used mainly from 1795 to 1820.
• Saddlebag: a bag shaped like an equestrian saddle, with a top flap and shoulder strap, like the famous Dior Saddle bag.
• Satchel: a larger soft bag with top handles and a shoulder strap, often worn across the body.
• Shoulder bag: a bag worn hanging off the shoulder, with a shorter strap than a crossbody bag.
• Top handle bag: a medium-sized bag with one or two top handles, sometimes also with a strap.
• Tote: a medium to large bag with two longer straps and an open top, like the Hermes Birkin bag.
• Wristlet: a small rectangular handbag with a short strap that can be worn around the wrist.

Hardware

Handbags can be made in two main ways: soft-bodied or with a frame. Frame handbags have a metal frame that supports the fabric or leather. These frame bags often use a special closure called a kissing lock, which has two interlocking metal beads on the top. Kissing locks were popular in the early to mid-1900s and are still liked by people who collect vintage items or like "retro" designs. You can still find these locks on small coin purses.

Coinage as a verb

The phrase "to handbag" comes from the 1980s, when UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher used her handbag as a symbol of her strong leadership. She would pull important papers from her bag during meetings to show she was serious and in charge.

Because she was Britain's first female prime minister, her handbag became a well-known sign of her power. People even used the term "handbag" to describe her tough way of handling problems, whether with leaders or reporters. Her bag was so famous that when she passed away, sales of her favorite handbag design went up. The original bag she used is kept at Churchill College, Cambridge. It was made of dark blue leather in a special style and was a gift for her birthday in 1984.

Handbag collecting

In 2014, the auction house Christie's began a special department for handbags. In June 2017, they held their first sale only for handbags.

Some of the most popular and valuable handbag brands are Hermès, followed by brands like Céline, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton.

There are special museums for handbags around the world. The Museum of Bags and Purses is in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; the Simone Handbag Museum is in Seoul, South Korea; and the ESSE Purse Museum is in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Famous people who collect handbags include Queen Elizabeth II, who had many bags from Launer London. Another big collector is Ilene Hochberg Wood, who has over 3,000 handbags. Some of these bags have been shown in museums. Other collectors are Victoria Beckham, Katie Holmes, Rita Ora, and Kelly Brook, among many others.