Thursday, March 27, 2008

Handbag History

Anna Johnson's The Power of the Purse is my bible. This little book is glorious with color photos of hundreds of bags and describes the evolution of the "pouch" from a small drawstring, 5th century, to modern purses/clutches/bags. It is inspiring and one of the first purchases Dos Chicas ever made.

Our American Heritage: Yesterday on our local TCTV, there aired a program about the Plateau People of the Columbia River, Washington-Oregon Territories. I learned about "Sally Bags" being water-tight containers that people traded or stored dried seeds/grains for winter. These are cylindrical in shape and are still made today. Online there are links to other bag pictures: Lewis & Clark Expedition (scroll down to the bottom of the page), and University of Oregon.

Another Sally Bag style is shaped more like what you would think of as a purse with repeated patterns: People of the River. Beading was added when trade brought them to the area. I couldn't find any pictures of these, but they were beautiful.

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