The 19th-century equivalent of an activist's slogan tote and a portmanteau made from repurposed fire hoses feature in this roundup of V&A curator Lucia Savi's favourite pieces from the Bags: Inside Out exhibition.
On show at London's Victoria and Albert Museum until September of next year, the exhibition traces the evolution of bags from the 16th century to the present day.
Over three distinct sections and nearly 300 exhibits, it explores the different functions that these carriers can serve, the ways they can communicate status and identity as well as the craftsmanship that goes into their making.
Along the way, designs by luxury fashion houses rub shoulders with personal items belonging to historical figures such as Winston Churchill and artefacts sourced everywhere from Pakistan to Burma.
"If you think about it, bags are everywhere. Men, women, children ? everybody wears them and uses them on an everyday basis," Savi told Dezeen.
"We can't even pinpoint when the first bag in history was made or used because it's such a functional object that was useful for so many reasons ? to travel from A to B, to transport personal belongings."
"But they can also be status symbols and carry meaning or memories. In the fashion business today, bags are often the biggest revenue drivers," she continued. "The exhibition sets out to investigate what makes this object so special, so coveted and so multi-layered."
According to Savi, a key factor i...