Vintage Handbags
By Nadja Maril
Photo By Tony Lewis Jr.
The Ultimate Accessory Vintage Evening Bags Add Glamour
In a tight economy it’s all about the little things, those accessory
items. While you may not have the money to buy a
new wardrobe for the winter party season, you can add some
extra glamour with a new belt, hat, or bag. Beautiful handbags
have always been a status item. Today, when prices for exclusive
designer bags can reach into the thousands, an antique or vintage
bag for a mere $100 can be a bargain, particularly when the
vintage bags are all one-of-a-kind.
As with many other kinds of vintage accessories, the fancier
bags, for special occasions, were more likely to survive. These
were seldom used, carefully stored, and handed down from
mother to daughter. Inherited collections often include mesh,
beaded, and crocheted bags from the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. If you want to start out with bags that are a little less
pricey look for early leather and fabric bags, as well as more
unusual bags from the 1950s and ’60s made of metal and Lucite.
The earliest handbags available for purchase generally date
from the mid-1800s. Many people are most familiar with colorful
beaded bags, but there were also fine bags made of leather, silk,
linen, and plush. Beaded bags endured the longest because the
beads form a protective layer over the threads and fabric. Leather
bags made before the 1920s are hard to find because they generally
were used until they wore out and then thrown away.
Mesh bags were very durable. They were first made of woven
mesh, in the early 1800s. By the 1890s chain mesh, coin-like
discs joined by links, was used. Enameling over the mesh was a
decorating device first introduced in the 1920s. One manufacturer
of mesh bags highly sought after by collectors and still in business today is Whiting
and Davis. Prices for collectible
Whiting and
Davis bags range from $60
to $300.
To date a beaded bag, look at the beads. Before the 1850s the
beads used were smaller and deeper in color than those used
later. The use of cut steel beads began in the 1840s and continued
through the 1930s. Linen was used as a handbag material during<
the early 1800s, while plush was preferred during the 1880s. Bag
designs reflect the style that was also popular in clothing and
interior decoration—and sometimes many other fields as well—
when they were made. For example, Egyptian motifs and geometric
designs are often seen on 1920s handbags due to the
opening of King Tut’s tomb and the popularity of the style that
would later be called art deco.
The shape of a handbag can also help you place it in a particular
period. Long tubular bags, referred to as
stocking or miser purses, were used from the
late 1700s through the 1880s. During the
early 1800s small drawstring purses were
popular. They were often attached to a
woman’s belt. Women continued to
wear purses attached to their waists
until approximately 1918.
Flat, square purses were first
introduced in the 1860s. They
were superseded in the 1870s
by clasp bags made in a triangular
shape. Large, broad,
beaded bags with highly decorative
designs were popular
in the 1880s. Bags
made in the 1920s were
small, flat, and rectangular.
Leather on metal
frames began to compete
with various fabrics in the
1880s. Many leather bags
were fitted with special compartments
for special functions,
such as an opera bag that
held opera glasses for seeing the
stage performers close up and a
powder puff for touching up your makeup between acts.
While some handbag frames are sterling, others are silver plate
or pot metal. Look for a sterling mark on flat beaded and fabric
bags with ornate frames. Avoid purchasing bags that have broken
hinges. Handbag frames are difficult and costly to repair.
In some instances you will find handbags that have been altered so
that they can be reused. For example, when beaded dresses and
handbags became fashionable in the 1920s, old beaded
bags from the late 19th century were pulled out
of storage and their frayed original drawstring
tops were often replaced. It also would
not have been unusual for a new lining to
be put in a bag or for missing beads to be
replaced with substitutes. Consider any
changes from a bag’s original condition
when assessing its value, but they do
not necessarily reduce the bag’s
desirability.
To keep old bags in their best
condition, apply reconditioning
cream to leather and gently
clean washable items with
distilled water and mild soap.
Needlework and beadwork
damage can be repaired, but it
is difficult to restore knit and
crotchet work.
When you are not taking
that lovely handbag out on a
special occasion, consider hanging
it on the wall or displaying
it in a vitrine or other protective
case so you can continue to enjoy it.
Editor-in-Chief Nadja Maril
answers readers’ question in her
blog All About Antiques, at
WhatsUpMag.com. If you have a question related to this column or a
previous column e-mail her at nmaril@whatsupmag.com. A nationally
known author appraiser and former antiques dealer, she also invites
readers to send photographs and suggestions for future columns to 929
West St., Suite 208A, Annapolis, MD 21401.
Tags:
Evening bags
Vintage handbags
Antique Purse
Vintage Hand Bags
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