In the Bag

American poet Ellen Rachlin once said, “A woman in her lifetime will spend far more hours hugging a handbag than a man,” which is the only justification needed for Pocketbook Anthropology: A Treasure of Handbags, a traveling exhibition currently on view at the Boulder History Museum, 1206 Euclid Avenue in Boulder. Featuring more than sixty purses, circa 1880 to the present and displayed alongside quips and quotes from notable women through time, it’s the kind of show that’s mouthwatering, stylish, funny and fascinating, especially for the ladies, who do swear by their bags.

Museum spokeswoman Susan Linde calls the exhibit “wildly diverse,” and notes that it includes contemporary handbags made from cigarette wrappers or duct tape; vintage beaded bags; leather and plastic bags; and even a wire bag resembling a crab trap and another evoking the Titanic.

Pocketbook Anthropology continues through November 30; for information, go to www.boulderhistory.org or call 303-449-3464.
Sept. 6-Nov. 30, 2008