HANDBAG...SERIOUSLY.

Here they are...my "hand"bag collection. I call it "a collection" even though I only have two. I always think of a collection as being something special, something prized, something that you own and are proud of. These bags fall into that category even if I only have a couple. Perhaps my collection will grow at some point. Why am I so fascinated with them? They are beautiful, creepy, delicate, old, and a bit disconcerting all at the same time. I wonder why it became popular at the turn of the century to carry your change in the hand of an alligator suspended by a rope? How morbid yet practical. Victorians were such weirdos - making jewelry out of hair and purses out of animal hands...how did this become normal? What do you think of these? Are you repulsed, fascinated, confused, or all of the above? I am "all of the above," and that is precisely what makes these bags so interesting. Handbags rarely effect me emotionally, but these are so reminiscent of being alive that it's hard not to be moved by them. Thoughts appreciated whether you love or hate them...