Museum of Bags and Purses

   While in Amsterdam I visited the Museum of Bags and Purses where they had an exhibition of bags ranging from the 17^th century all the way to the 21^st century. Starting from the earliest decade and working their way to current bags of the 2000's, the museum was full of different techniques of bag creation and materials, including embroidery, beading, ivory, plastic, leathers and skins, lace, velvet, metal, straw, wood, and tortoiseshell. 

   Each century evolved into using more sophisticated materials but I found the 17^th and 18^th century to be most intriguing. During this time bags and purses were used by both men and women to transport coins, documents, papers, bibles, holy relics, and personal items like key and cosmetics. They hung from waistbands or were attached to belts using long chords. Each bag also had a specific function. There were bags just to hold documents, and bags well as bags to carry gambling chips in. A bag filled with fragrant petals or perfumed powder petals would be hung around the waist and was known as a sweetbag. The most expensive bags and purses were made with embroidery in silk, gold, and silver thread.

   As times evolved and materials become more and more sophisticated, beaded bags became popular during the 19^th century as well as the use of ivory mixed with leather, snakeskin, and tortoiseshell. 

   During the early 2000's novelty bags in various shapes including cruise ships, telephones, fish, postcards, and champagne bottles became a fad. At the end of the exhibit, there was a displayed filled with iconic bags over the years from designers such as Chanel, Pierre Cardin, Yves Saint Laurent, and Mulberry. This museum was very interesting because it really showed the evolution of handbags from the middle ages all the up to current times and how much styles, shapes, materials, and purposes of purses and handbags have changed over 400 years.

By: Caitlyn Schultz