An exploration of the role of the handbag in the history of culture, fashion, and material production

The history of the handbag - its design, how it has been made, used, and worn - reveals something essential about women's lives lived over the last 500 years. Perhaps the most universal item of fashionable adornment, it can also be elusive, an object of desire, secrecy and even fear. This book explores these rich histories and multiple meanings.