The Evolution of the Handbag Purse

The pouch, the earliest precursor to the handbag purse, dates back as far as the earliest human records.  The earliest Peasants wore pouches to carry around their seeds.  African priests carried similar bags, these decorated with beads.  The earliest mention of the handbag purse in verifiably recorded history was of -pockets', small sacks that held money, flint, and scented oranges called pomanders, and which were carried by men.

Up through the 1400's it was common for men to give a handbag purse to his bride as a wedding gift, these handbag purses ornately decorated with images depicting the couple's romance.  By that time both genders could be seen carrying their handbag purses about. 

In the 1500's the handbag purse became a status symbol.  Popular to that era were tasseled flat handbag purses.  By the end of that century, however, women started wearing their handbag purses beneath their skirt, and the role of handbag purse as fashion accessory was tentatively put on hold.

Incidentally, in Papua, New Guinea, mountain-dwelling men and women both carry a version of the handbag purse called a -bilum', essentially large, knit bags adorned with seashells and such.  The more seashells on your -bilum' handbag purse, the higher your status in the society, as it meant that you were popular enough with the shore-dwellers for them to bestow bountiful shells upon you. 

The beginning of the modern incarnation of these pouches, what became the handbag purses we own and cherish, were reticules with long strings, developed and popularized in the late 1700's.  With modern fashion also came innovations in ways to express your status in society through your handbag purse.  Luxury handbag purses are easy to spot: made of authentic skins and furs, with fancy trim, gold or other precious metal clasps, and baring the eminently familiar logo of a top handbag purse designer.

A couple of broad sweeping changes occurred to handbag purse in the 1920's.  Skirts became skimpier, making handbag purses a near-necessity.  Additionally, more and more handbag purses were designed with large, glaring pockets on the outside, indicating the woman's burgeoning independence from men.  Then, in February of 1955, Coco Chanel gave to the world a quilted handbag purse with a chain shoulder strap (so as to keep her hands free).  This handbag purse, called the 2.55, became the standard handbag purse for an entire generation of women. 

In the 1940's fashionable women were driven to have the whole ensemble in order to present a complete -look'.  Nowadays, however, all a girl has to do is get a stylish (preferably expensive) designer handbag purse and it alone defines the image they present.