What's in a Lady's Handbag?

It doesn't seem that long ago that I was sitting by my aunt's side, listening to her tell of an article (ok, the only article!) she had published in "The Lady" magazine. Every now and again she would sit and write - and send material off to be reviewed by an editor, in the hope of getting some work published. She would just have loved the freedom of the internet.

I don't know what it was that inspired her to write about the contents of a lady's handbag. Heck, I don't even know where she found the handbag, as she never used one. What I do know, though, is that she catalogued the fresh, clean handkerchief, the brush and comb, the coin purse, the hairgrip - and the spare fastener for the suspender belt ..... remember, this was back in the fifties where the modern miss wore spencers, suspenders, stockings - and bloomers. And no, I don't think the handbag contained knicker elastic or thread.

Fast forward almost sixty years - and the contents of my handbag are completely different to that which she described. I've got a wallet which contains some £20 notes (that would frighten her to death because she only needed to carry loose change, say a half crown.). I also carry credit cards, bank operators cards - she wouldn't find this too difficult as she had a good memory for pin numbers, etc. I have some paper tissues instead of the starched and ironed handkerchief. Sometimes I even have a comb. I definitely never have any of the necessities to keep modesty secure by carrying spare suspenders.

I carry business cards and a mobile phone. .... Well, I suspect my aunt would be inspired by the technology and enjoy using a mobile phone. She never carried cards (or at least when I knew her). She belonged to an era where young ladies called on one another, didn't work .... no, I mean, didn't do paid work. A more gentile era. So, I suspect she probably did carry cards to leave behind when friends were away from home when she called, although in truth, I never heard her talk about this.

Some other differences include the type of handbag she would have carried. Handbags were very formal affairs, created in the finest leathers, kid-lined, with matching accessories. Still available, of course. However, when I go out carrying my latest Vera Bradley handbag, that would give her some momentary pangs - because they are fun accessories, rather than the investment dressing style which she enjoyed.

Yes, it's definitely true, my aunt would never believe the changes to ladies handbags in the last sixty years!

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