From ancient civilisation to the catwalk, the handbag has become a timeless accessory. For most of us, this helpful friend has become an extension of ourselves. A statement piece or a practical must-have - the humble handbag has a long and exciting history.
It may surprise you that the rise of the handbag is cemented in Victorian tradition as much as the ancient. It may surprise you even more that it started life as a gentleman’s accessory back in the day. The patriarchy has often held the purse strings, so it makes sense that men would be the first to lay claim to our favourite item.
In this article, we are going to take a look at how the handbag has evolved over the years.
Humble origins
Carved into Ancient Egyptian walls, you can see detailed depictions of men carrying pouches around their waists. Even then, having a place to store your tools, snacks and water for the day was of vast importance. Fast forward to 2012, archaeologist Susanne Friederich discovers the world’s oldest handbag. Featuring over 100 dog teeth intricately sewn into the material, the purse is believed to originate from around 2,500 B.C.
Friederich’s discovery is so poignant as the design isn’t too dissimilar from the high-end designer bags we see today. As rare as the purse is by today’s standards, back in the Stone Age, this sort of design was the height of fashion!
Moving on with the times, the 1300s sported a different approach to the handbag design. Opulent and intricately designed, a 700-year-old clutch was discovered in the city of Mosul, Northern Iraq. Made of brass with gold and silver carefully inlaid, this particular bag is one of a kind. Experts struggled to work out what the bag was for until they looked closer at the design. With most of the decorations on the bag rooted in Islamic tradition mixed with the page that had a revealing inscription inside, it was concluded that the bag belonged to a noblewoman. The imagery alone points to the bag being a woman’s accessory revealing the position that females held in the court.
Jumping again to the Victorian age, the 1900s boasted a revival of the handbag, but this time just like the Egyptians, men were the main handlers. From the briefcase to the over the shoulder bag, the handbag took pride of place on the working man’s shoulder.
Signifiers of power
Looking back through history, you can get a sense of how versatile and practical handbags have always been. From a noblewoman’s private space to a gentleman’s document carrier, the handbag has had a wide range of uses. Beyond that, handbags have always functioned as signifiers of status, power and beauty. With that in mind, why are they such a staple of our everyday?
In the medieval times, the Moshul clutch bag included, purses were often embroidered to depict love stories. Although used for carrying money and trinkets, they also symbolised marriage and betrothal. The weight of the bag almost represented the responsibility to your loved one.
Now handbags have continued to carry a level of status mixed with ongoing practicality. From Prada to Versace, Hermès to Saint Laurent, design and substance have come along way since the humble pouch.
Purses, clutches and handbags
Take your mind to the Elizabethan era. The classic pose of Queen Elizabeth laden in puffy dresses and high collared ruffs. Can you even begin to imagine how you would hold any type of bag in that situation? Small girdle purses were no longer suffice. Bags began to increase in size. Not too dissimilar from the classic elbow-hook design we see today.
In a bizarre twist, the Elizabethan era gave rise to women’s equality. Men no longer carried bags around as they began to invest in pocketed clothes. For women, they were no longer bound to relying on their husbands to carry everything. Handbags became a symbol of individualism and women could carry their own money and possessions in their own hands.
For what may seem like a small step, back then it was incredibly liberating for a woman to be able to manage her own affairs! Empowering and yielding more privacy than ever before, the handbag became a revolutionary item that has stood through the ages.
Lasting legacy
History is rich in moments of change. From the suffragettes to the likes of Greta Thunberg, women have been instrumental in the tides of change. Although handbags may seem on the surface to be a superficial add-on item we can't live without, they hold much more of a legacy than you’d expect.
The last 100 years have seen a mass rise in the handbag. They have become a unique outward statement of social status, fashion sense as well as earning power. With the fashion houses creating striking designs and bold new updates to the classic handbag, something deeper is happening within the industry. Fresh, current and symbolic, handbags have become a reflection of a long history of empowerment and one’s identity. With a price tag to match, many designs available have an astonishing resale value past the shop floor.
Free from the oppression of taking the lead in the domestic role, handbags have been instrumental in breaking women out of the old status quo. From Elizabethan’s tucking their purses into their extravagant dress folds to the 21st Century individual, handbags have become part of our identity.
No longer do you have to rely on others to carry your things, you can keep everything in the crook of your arm. Protecting the little parts of yourself throughout your day-to-day. They have become so much of us, that most of us feel naked and exposed when we don’t carry a bag.
So, the power of the handbag is real everyone! From the bold and beautiful to the iconic and unique designs we see today, handbags are all part of our identity.
