The earliest known purses were, not surprisingly, used by the ancient Egyptians. Hieroglyphics have been found where you can see people carrying a pouch like object tied around their waist. But there is an instance where the famous ancient iceman, the "otzi iceman" a 5000 year old mummy found in the Alps near the Austrian and Italian border, was carrying a leather purse.
The next time in history that we see leather purses is during the 14th century in Europe. Social status had much to do with the design of such bags. The more elaborate the embroidery and the higher the quality of the bag marks the owner as one who is higher up in the social strata. At this time, bags or purses were worn only by ladies.
Men had to wait until the 1600s for it to be socially acceptable for them to have purses. Theirs were grander than the women's purses before their time. They could have gold embroidered in them. They also gave their brides purses with embroidered pictures. Women then used to display their purses to everyone, but as their dresses grew larger they could hide the purses inside their skirts. In the 1700s, men started wearing their pants with pockets. This evolution in fashion practically killed their practice of carrying purses. They now had small bags to hold coins. Probably, the leather coin purse was first used at this period. Before, their purses were usually just cloth tied with strings.
During the 1800s, neo classical styles invaded the fashion world. Women began showing off bags again. Bags could no longer fit under their dresses, thus they had to carry them. So they displayed bags matching their dresses to the public. Nevertheless, it was only in the 1900s that hand bag began to be used to describe bags. Bags then evolved to double compartments from the single compartments before. Bags also began to take a different route in design. They were no longer limited in design to what women wore.
World War 2 brought bag fashion to a new dimension. Plastic was started to be used as raw materials for basically every product including bags. By the 1950s, the major bag designers joined the trend of using plastics as raw materials. The face of bags and purses has greatly evolved ever since they made that decision. This was because whenever respected designers create products, those products gain instant credibility. Women today have made the bag their prime accessory such that it is unbelievable for them not to leave home without bags. These bags have simply become their "home away from home".
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