The Museum of Bags and Purses
The Netherlands really is the ideal place for women to visit, with its diamond cities, delicious chocolate and, as Rosie Khdir has discovered, a museum dedicated to handbags and purses!
Handbags made from tortoiseshell, cactus fibre, mother-of-pearl or papier-mâché, decorated with snakeskin, gold and sapphire watches and even peacock feathers – you name it, this museum probably has it.
The Tassenmuseum Hendrikje in Amsterdam was set up by Hendrikje Ivo, who fell in love with handbag collecting after the discovery of a very unique bag thirty years ago.
She was working as an antique dealer in our British city of Norwich when she laid her hands on a leather bag with a tortoiseshell cover plate. She set out to discover its history, and three decades later has acquired quite a collection.
There are more than 3,500 bags, pouches, purses, luggage pieces and accessories dating from the 15th century to the present day.
This unique museum presents the history of the ladies handbag in Western culture and includes anything from a modern Louis Vuitton to a bag in the shape of the luxurious liner the Normandie. There are bags made from all types of leather – cow, goat, sheep, pig, donkey – as well as many other exotic skins such as snake, crocodile, lizard, armadillo, shark, ostrich.
Hendrikje Ivo’s extensive collection is located in a beautiful building which dates back to 1664. This collection of purses and handbags was first displayed in 1996 and expanded so rapidly within ten years, that it had to be moved to its bigger home along the famous Herengracht canal.
Visitors can also enjoy a walk around the period rooms of the house, admiring their carved wooden ornaments, marble fireplaces and elaborate ceiling paintings which depict allegories of Wealth, Music, the Arts, Sciences and Fame.
The Tassenmuseum Hendrikje is a fascinating museum and a real delight for ladies who love their purses. The gift shop is filled with bags that beckon to be bought. Just make sure your New Year‘s resolution isn’t to stop shopping!
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Image credit: huzzahvintage
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