Constrained in a corset that pushed out the bosom and flattened the stomach to produce the S-shape curve and high lace collars boned to keep the head upright,the upperclass Edwardian woman had little choice but to live a life of leisurely pursuits and negligible activity.
Preceived as a symbol of her husband's financial and social status,clothed by couturiers ( Jacques Doucet e.t.c )tended to by a lady's maid,and expertise were merely to exercise choices of taste and recreation.
Routines were serviced by servants both in the house and out in the world,deliveries also made to the house by the local shops (butcher,greengrocer),not even need to carry house keys because a servant would always be at home.
When the well to do Edwardian woman ventured out of the house,she required very little to hand (visiting cards,handkerchief,a small notebook and a pencil),which could easily be accommodated in a reticule,a small pouch-shaped bag fastened with a drawstring.
Usually the "bag" was heavilly tasselled,beaded and embroidered,made from materials similar to those of her dress and was hung from her wrist and accompanied her on afternoon visits and balls,and nights at the opera.
Fine sewing was a customary activity of the housebound housewife and this often included the making of a needlework bag,finished off with a pair of storebough handles.
The Dorothy bag was used for more intimate occasions and usually made from a circle of dress fabric,gathered together by a drawstring at the top to create a filled oppening,they were pretty concoctions of sequinned net with the lace insertion,decorated with beadwork or embroidered flowers.
The name tooked by the eponymous heroine of A J Munby's play of the 1880's.
Muff during the winter protected the hands from the cold and served as a handbag of sorts,holding everything that might be put into a bag.
The muff was generally made of fur and had even been known to carry a small dog (founded 16th century at Venice).
The period before the first World War was the golden period of travel,due to the introduction of the motorcar,railways travelling never been so easy and gave birth to a need for more fashionable clothes as for luggage.
Because of the servants the weight was not a consideration and so was the space!The first true products/handbags were developed by leather goods companies such Louis Vuitton,Gucci and Prada (1913) and Hermes, like miniatures suitcases,these leather handbags (usually with silver corners and leather shaped handles) contained many compartments for specific items (cigarettes,make up,calling cards).
When Edward VII died four years before the outbreak of the first WW,to be succeeded by his son George V,women were encouraged to take their place in the workforce, as a volunteer nurses,in the land army,in industry and at the munitions factories,meant that women were for the first time,earning their own money,fact that have made women no longer prepared to work in service to the aristocracy or to be contect with merely running a household.
The increasing mechanization of cooking and housework also freed women to spend more time outside the home,going to work,lunching with friends,attenting a matinee or visiting the local lending library.
Women were literally much more visible on the city streets as hemlines rose,stockings became flesh-coloured and blouses were allowed to be open neck,making the tailor made costume the uniform of the modern woman.
This more utilitarial way of dressing required a more practical bag and the long drawstrings of the Dorothy bag were shortened to accommodate its plumper,more commodious shape.
The improved standards of living for the many rather the few was a reflection of mass industrialization and it resulted to the rise of the American and European department store,from which these bags could also be purchased.
The first British Vogue appeared 1916 (following the American edition 1909) and added the desire of the consumer to buy what was in it's pages.
Pioneers such as Gordon Selfridge added to the shopping experience with the introduction of musical performances and fashion shows,as well as restaurants,cafes and lavatoriesinto the building when he opened his store in London in 1909 ( which meant that women could stay out longer without returning home to fulfil bodily needs ). Thus a practical handbag,usually unbranded and purchased from a specialist shop or department store was required to carry whatever she needed to see though the day.
text
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