Handbag
ca. 1945-1947 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
By 1945, enormous, flat envelope bags and solid leather shoulder bags were found, with waist bags on matching belts. By the late 1940s, commercially manufactured boxy handbags were popular, in all shapes. Schiaparelli made bags with compartments and concertinaed bags; there were bags with an external pocket for cigarettes, and all were deeper rather than wide. Improvements in plastics during the war and synthetics such as washable white peccary, vinylite and koroseal benefitted fashion, while Vynide and imitation patent were used to satisfy the demands of the consumer.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Plastic and suede with gilt fittings |
| Brief description | Handbag, PVC plastic, metal, Great Britain, ca. 1945-1947 |
| Physical description | Handbag made of black plastic. With a suede wrist strap, gilt frame and clasp, and light brown interior with two large pockets, one containing a mirror. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | Plastic has been available for around 150 years. Today, it is often considered a cheap throw-away material, but it can also be hand-carved and manipulated to make unique pieces like the Joyce Francis acrylic bag with insects and plants [T.11-2002]. Early plastics such as celluloid, Bakelite and Lucite represent different types of chemical composition. Glossy, durable Lucite could be heated and shaped by hand, an intensive process making it an expensive luxury material. Bakelite was developed as a cheap substitute for costly ivory and tortoiseshell. Being lightweight and easy to shape made it ideal for mass production.
V&A, Room 40, Bags: Inside Out. (12/2020) |
| Credit line | Given by John Hadman |
| Summary | By 1945, enormous, flat envelope bags and solid leather shoulder bags were found, with waist bags on matching belts. By the late 1940s, commercially manufactured boxy handbags were popular, in all shapes. Schiaparelli made bags with compartments and concertinaed bags; there were bags with an external pocket for cigarettes, and all were deeper rather than wide. Improvements in plastics during the war and synthetics such as washable white peccary, vinylite and koroseal benefitted fashion, while Vynide and imitation patent were used to satisfy the demands of the consumer. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.821-1974 |
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| Record created | March 5, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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