TIP #499 OF SADDLE BAGS, RETICULES, CARPET BAGS AND TRUNKS In taking a week break from historical events, I thought you might enjoy the following. Bill Utterback, our well-known and most knowledgeable researcher who is the list manager for the Jackson Purchase area list, has been posting articles written by Gordon Wilson called "Fidelity Folks". Mr. Wilson wrote of saddle bags, reticules and carpet bags and got me thinking of various types of containers used in the past to stow our precious goods. I'd like to take a look at some of these storage containers. Before I begin however, if you fellows on the list complain that your wife is packing too many suitcases to go on a short vacation .... would you have been in trouble back in the olden days! Saddle bags: Quoting from Gordon Wilson: " The best known kind were capacious and roundish, lying across the saddle and capable of holding clothes, bottles of sundry kinds, hymn books, et al." We've all watched our western movies and are familiar with the saddle bag thrown across the back of a horse, mule or donkey. They were also known as saddle pockets. Many different types of people used saddlebags: 1 - Circuit riding preachers stowed their Bible, hymnal (when available) and sermon notes 2 - Travelers in general. This might include families visiting far away kin folk, men traveling to the county seat to transact business. Sheriffs delivering subpoenas, surveyors to keep their maps and surveys. 3- Physicians. Doctors used to make house calls, remember? They needed a saddle bag of sometimes special design to hold all their medicines and medical tools of the times. 4 - Mail carriers including the Pony Express Today, if you use a search engine, the majority of sites deal only with motorcycle saddlebags! History repeats itself. Reticules were normally thought of as lady's handbags. They were made of net or were a string purse. Many of this style can still be found today called by more modern terms. Later on it was made of fabric but in many old photographs, you will see a lady with her netted purse closed by a drawstring. Some of the fancier reticules were beaded and had a linen lining; many had fringes. During the 1860's in some areas of the country, the reticule could be made of tanned leather with a leather draw string. Sometimes the liner of the reticule gave shape to it , a cardboard type lining. Some reticules could be decorated on the outside to make it unique to the owner; painted flowers or designs. They came in all sizes, much like our purses of today. Carpetbags were larger and many things could be stored in them. It stretched farther and was sturdier. Sometimes it was said that carpetbaggers carried all their belongings in this bag. The term took on a derogatory term after the Civil War when many "carpetbaggers went south to make his gains during the reconstruction period." Carpet bags were however not made of carpet. The U S Patent Office in 1850 issued a patent for an automatic carpet weaving machine. Likely carpetbagger manufacturers found this quite intriguing! They were sturdy, bulky and came in all sizes and patterns. Many famous people used carpet bags including Abraham Lincoln who likely carried all his papers in it, down to the movie nanny Mary Poppins, which held all sorts of magical things! It is thought that carpetbags dated back to early Egyptian times with designers creating beautiful bags of fine woven tapestry. And, as history repeats itself, smaller versions of the carpetbag are back in style in modern purses. Trunks. There were many types of trunks used for a myriad of uses in the older times. The earliest trunks made in America were rather primitive and dated back to the late 1600s. They were made of various woods and covered with hides such as deer, horse or cowhide. In the 1700s the hide covered trunks continued and became a little more ornamented with handmade brass tacks, forged iron locks and handles and leather trim. These were made in flat top and rounded top styles. In the late 1700s and early 1800s round trunks became popular. Looking at them from the end they appear round, with a small flat base. They were covered in leather and hide and usually ornamented with brass tacks. They were lined with a printed paper or often old newspapers. They sometimes were made with a small brass handle on top and were made in many sizes. By the end of the 1840's and into the 1850's, trunks covered with leather became quite popular. They had large iron bands and brass studs or button. They were nicknamed "gold rush trunks" because the golden studs reminded people of golden nuggets. During the mid 1800's, people were moving all over the place and more and more trunks were needed. Railroad travel also increased the demands and a trunk maker during that time could make a good living. Styles and sizes ranged from small to large; flat and round topped or those called "half trunks". The latter became the rage after Jenny Lind toured America and had this style of trunk. They are now more commonly known as Jenny Lind trunks; had several iron bands around them, large studs, and the trunk is curved at the center. There were brass bound Jenny Lind trunks which were quite popular into the 1870 timeframe. Some had fancy stud designs, large brass locks. There were even trunks made for the children to carry their dolls. This style of trunk were later referred to as stagecoach trunks as people wended their way west. The Saratoga Trunk became popular in the 1870's and was named for Saratoga Springs NY where the well-to-do traveled to use the spas and see the horse races. They were very large, had a domed lid with extremely fancy trim in leather or metal. The round top trunks were also known as humpbacked, camelback, monitor top and barrel topped trunks. The Steamer Trunk evolved in the late 1800's and was primarily designed for steamship travel. It was a low trunk, flat on the top. Larger trunks were made for clothes and shoes and these were called wardrobe trunks that had hangers and drawers. The latter were also known as Bureau or Dresser trunks. There were small trucks, square shaped for the ladies' hats plus other special purpose trunks for carrying papers (the interiors resembled a desk which had fold down front sections). Miscellaneous trunks: Where there was a need, a trunk manufacturer solved the problem. With the growing popularity of circuses, special trunks were designed for props with hidden compartments. Door-to-door salesmen needed trunks to carry their tinker goods. Musicians needed trunks to store their violins, brass instruments and music. If you have interest in old storage containers, purses and bags, I would recommend a search on the internet. There are many beautiful photographs of both original pieces and reproductions. I am indebted to thidoldtrunk.com for a breakdown of the categories of trunks. As a personal aside. Several years ago I learned of a trunk here in Glasgow KY where I live that was sold at a yard sale. I tried for years to track it down to no avail. It was an old trunk from Virginia that belonged to John Gorin, the founder of Glasgow. It was described as being lined with old newspapers from Fairfax Co VA and also had a hair lining in the lid. On the top, in brass studs, was the name Gorin. If you ever see it passing by, write me! Notes: See also: thisoldtrunk.com for pictures of many of the trunks described and a fuller description. "Fidelity Folks", was written by Dr. A. Gordon Wilson. Fidelity was better known as New Concord in Calloway County, where Dr. Wilson was born and grew to adulthood in the 1888 - 1910 time frame. He was the son of a well known physician in that area, Dr. Marquis Pillow Wilson. My thanks to Bill Utterback for publishing excerpts from this book! (c) copyright 22 July 2004, Sandra K. Gorin Colonel Sandi Gorin SCKY Links: http://www.public.asu.edu/~moore/Gorin.html Sandi's Puzzlers: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gensoup/gorin/puz.html Gorin Publishing: http://ggpublishing.tripod.com/