PURSEonality: A Stylish Handbag History

Spanning the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, ranging in style from folk art, to contemporary designer to embroidered. Wood’s collection, which numbers into the thousands, is broken up into sub collections of 150 to ~ 600 purses grouped by material, aesthetic elements, and use.

Additional displays at The Kemerer Museum will consider themes of design, innovation, materials, the personal stories of previous handbag owners and eccentric designers, and the local artist section will spotlight bags hand decorated by local artists invited to participate.

The Moravian Museum displays will focus on a selection of needlepoint handbags displayed alongside examples of needlepoint from our collection.