The ESSE Purse Museum is a
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
located in
Little Rock, Arkansas
(The Little Rock, The "Little Rock")
, government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager
, leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_ ...
featuring
women's handbags, and the day-to-day items carried in them, illustrating the stories of American women's lives during the 1900s.
[David Monteith: "Little Rock Purse Museum One Of Only A Handful In The World", KUAR FM 89.1 NPR Public Radio from UA Little Rock, http://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/little-rock-purse-museum-one-only-handful-world, posted Dec 29, 2014, last accessed September 26, 2018.][Reporter Chanley Painter, KARK 4 News at 4: "Handbag History in Little Rock," https://www.kark.com/news/local-news/handbag-history-in-little-rock/1247441206, posted: Jun 18, 2018 05:27 PM CDT, updated: Jun 18, 2018 05:27 PM CDT, last accessed 30 Sep 2018.][Amy Sciarretto: The ESSE Purse Museum Exists But There Are 3 Reasons To Go Besides Being A Handbag Enthusiast, ''Bustle'', posted June 9 2015, https://www.bustle.com/articles/88953-the-esse-purse-museum-exists-but-there-are-3-reasons-to-go-besides-being-a-handbag, last accessed September 26, 2018.][Linda Miller for ''The Oklahoman'': "It's in the bag," https://newsok.com/article/5553483/its-in-the-bag, published June 22, 2017 5:00 AM, last accessed 30 Sep 2018.] Special topic exhibits are hosted,
[Linda Miller for ''The Oklahoman'': "It's in the bag," https://newsok.com/article/5553483/its-in-the-bag, published June 22, 2017 5:00 AM, last accessed 30 Sep 2018.][Jess Ardrey: "Esse Purse Museum Launches "Barbie: The Vintage Years" Temporary Exhibit Sept. 28", ''Little Rock Soirée'', https://www.littlerocksoiree.com/post/100934/esse-purse-museum-launches-barbie-the-vintage-years-temporary-exhibit-sept-28, September 23, 2014, last accessed September 26, 2018.][Katelynn Caple: "Esse Purse Museum," in ''The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture'', http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=12080, Last Updated 6/5/2018, last accessed 3 Nov 2018.] and the museum has a
gift shop
A gift shop or souvenir shop is a store primarily selling souvenirs, memorabilia, and other items relating to a particular topic or theme. The items sold often include coffee mugs, stuffed animals, toys, t-shirts, postcards, handmade collect ...
.
[David Monteith: "Little Rock Purse Museum One Of Only A Handful In The World", KUAR FM 89.1 NPR Public Radio from UA Little Rock, http://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/little-rock-purse-museum-one-only-handful-world, posted Dec 29, 2014, last accessed September 26, 2018.] The museum's name is derived from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
infinitive
Infinitive (abbreviated ) is a linguistics term for certain verb forms existing in many languages, most often used as non-finite verbs. As with many linguistic concepts, there is not a single definition applicable to all languages. The word is deri ...
for "to be".
[Katelynn Caple: "Esse Purse Museum," in ''The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture'', http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=12080, Last Updated 6/5/2018, last accessed 3 Nov 2018.]
History
The museum originated from the founder's interest in
folk art
Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative art, decorative. The makers of folk art a ...
.
[Linda Miller for ''The Oklahoman'': "It's in the bag," https://newsok.com/article/5553483/its-in-the-bag, published June 22, 2017 5:00 AM, last accessed 30 Sep 2018.] In 2006, her personal collection of thousands of
handbag
A handbag, commonly known as a purse or pocketbook in North American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag used to carry personal items.
Purse, handbag or pouch
The term "purse" originally referred to a small bag for holding coins. In many ...
s was organized into a
traveling exhibition
A travelling exhibition, also referred to as a "travelling exhibit" or a "touring exhibition", is a type of exhibition that is presented at more than one venue.
Temporary exhibitions can bring together objects that might be dispersed among sever ...
that toured the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
through 2011.
[Linda Miller for ''The Oklahoman'': "It's in the bag," https://newsok.com/article/5553483/its-in-the-bag, published June 22, 2017 5:00 AM, last accessed 30 Sep 2018.] Following the tour, the collection was put on display in a historic building in
Little Rock
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
's South Main ("SoMa") district.
[Linda Miller for ''The Oklahoman'': "It's in the bag," https://newsok.com/article/5553483/its-in-the-bag, published June 22, 2017 5:00 AM, last accessed 30 Sep 2018.]
Exhibits
The permanent exhibits showcase handbags that most women owned from the early 1900s through 1999, giving glimpses into their lives.
[Linda Miller for ''The Oklahoman'': "It's in the bag," https://newsok.com/article/5553483/its-in-the-bag, published June 22, 2017 5:00 AM, last accessed 30 Sep 2018.] Display cases set up by decade show the styles of purses women carried and their contents, reflecting the events of each decade and illustrating how war, fashion, and economics influenced the style and function of purses.
[Linda Miller for ''The Oklahoman'': "It's in the bag," https://newsok.com/article/5553483/its-in-the-bag, published June 22, 2017 5:00 AM, last accessed 30 Sep 2018.] Special exhibits have included vintage
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched on March 9, 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration.
...
dolls (2014),
[Jess Ardrey: "Esse Purse Museum Launches "Barbie: The Vintage Years" Temporary Exhibit Sept. 28", ''Little Rock Soirée'', https://www.littlerocksoiree.com/post/100934/esse-purse-museum-launches-barbie-the-vintage-years-temporary-exhibit-sept-28, September 23, 2014, last accessed September 26, 2018.] a local artist's series of paintings of women and their purses (2017),
[Linda Miller for ''The Oklahoman'': "It's in the bag," https://newsok.com/article/5553483/its-in-the-bag, published June 22, 2017 5:00 AM, last accessed 30 Sep 2018.] images and objects from
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
women, 1891–1987 (2017),
[Katelynn Caple: "Esse Purse Museum," in ''The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture'', http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=12080, Last Updated 6/5/2018, last accessed 3 Nov 2018.] and
paper dresses from the 1960s (2018).
[Lydia McAllister: "Esse Purse Museum Gears Up for Cutting Edge Exhibit," ''Little Rock Soirée'', https://www.littlerocksoiree.com/post/121666/esse-purse-museum-gears-up-for-cutting-edge-exhibit, April 25, 2018, last accessed 3 Nov 2018.]
Gallery
File:Esse Purse Museum 1.jpg, Reptile skin purse
File:Esse Purse Museum 2.jpg, Fabric purse
File:Esse Purse Museum 3.jpg, Metal purse
File:Esse Purse Museum 4.jpg, Permanent exhibit space
File:Esse Purse Museum 5.jpg, Temporary exhibit about eyewear (July 2020)
File:Esse Purse Museum 6.jpg, Museum store
See also
*
Simone Handbag Museum The Simone Handbag Museum in Seoul, South Korea, is a museum dedicated to handbags. 300 bags are on display at the museum, dating from 1550 to the present day.
The museum is divided into two halves, Twentieth Century and Contemporary, and Historic ...
in Seoul, South Korea
*
Museum of Bags and Purses
The Museum of Bags and Purses ( nl, Tassenmuseum Amsterdam), was a museum devoted to the history of bags, purses, and their related accessories. Located in Amsterdam's historic central canal belt, the museum's collection included over 5,000 item ...
in Amsterdam, Netherlands
*
Handbag collecting
A handbag, commonly known as a purse or pocketbook in North American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag used to carry personal items.
Purse, handbag or pouch
The term "purse" originally referred to a small bag for holding coins. In man ...
References
External links
ESSE Purse Museum websiteESSE Purse Museum on InstagramVideos about the museumLittle Rock's "SoMa" district
Fashion museums in the United States
Museums established in 2013
2013 establishments in Arkansas
Museums of American art
Buildings and structures in Little Rock, Arkansas
Bags (fashion)
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