Featured Whiting & Davis Elsah Metal Mesh Bag - Date?

I strongly resisted this bag, as I know nothing about the subject. I actually walked home and waited until the store almost closed before I called and paid for it over the phone. They have a lot of fine purses at this shop, but they also have an expert who prices them high (and they get it). I had read about these metal mesh purses here, so I thought it was unique enough to buy it and ask. It is 7 inches long and 4 inches wide. Can anyone help with a date?

 

Way cool!

 

I know.

 

It's lovely! I would've wanted it, too!

 

I tried hard to forget it, but I loved the color.

 

I love it! I can feel your indecision from here, I’ve been there, walking out of a shop, back in again and out.
I think you made an excellent decision.
@Ownedbybear is a bag expert.

 

Dunno if I'm an expert, but I'm an addict. I've never handled a coloured W&D like that, so I'd say hen's teeth rare. Style and colour looks 20s into 30s. Longer lines for flapper dresses, so bags to match.

This website seems to concur:

https://thevintagetraveler.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/whiting-and-davis-bags-and-more/

 

It is lovely.

 

I think one becomes the other….

 

That's such an interesting thought... That the shape of the bag would mimic the shape of the dress. Like men's ties and lapels. (The wider the tie, the wider the lapel and the reverse.) Late '20s as above confirmed by the brand's web site.

Debora

 

OMG that's fabulous!

The Whiting & Davis website confirms the painted "flat Armor mesh" as starting in the late 20s. However, you have an El-Sah bag, which was a collaboration with Elsa Schiaparelli, which wasn't until the 30s.

(Edited to include website link.)

 

I've seen and bought beaded necklaces which do the same thing: follow the line of the dress. If you look at evening bag styles, especially, they can be dated by the way the profile mimics frocks or whatever. Jewellery does this too. Ties and lapels are an excellent example.

Good point on El-Sah. I'd surmise this was a 20s style which they then used a slightly later frame on.

 

So, you do it too. They wanted a lot of money for something that I don't even know how to display and admire. I don't have any flat cases. But that didn't stop me from forking over the cash. I think it's OBB fault. She's the addict.

 

Great article. When I started to research these bags, I saw the earlier ones which don't photograph well, so it is hard to appreciate them from afar. I didn't see the reason for the fringe on the bottom of a purse, but now that you mention it, I can see the connection.
I find researching something without any prior knowledge is hazardous because there is a lot of incorrect information out there and it is hard to assess what is correct. Thanks for the article about the company. It's fascinating to see how one person can make such a difference both Whiting and the forman who kept the company going.
Thank you very much.

 

Pearls. I'm glad you enjoyed this post. It is, isn't it.

 

So true. Your knowledge makes you appreciate each piece more than the average person. A rabbit hole.

 

I didn't see they had a website. I'll have to go look. I hadn't realized the tie and lapel connection. Thank you

 

Perfect. I wanted to narrow down the date. I couldn't tell from looking the various sellers' sites, what was real and what was copypasta. I wasn't sure about the dash. I put it in the title of my post and then took it out thinking it was a scratch. The letters are uneven like it was stamped by hand rather than a machine. Thank you.

 

I hadn't realized that jewelry followed fashion. What a dummy I am. Of course, when necklines plunge jewelry becomes longer, etc. This can be a clue to age. Thank you.

 

I wouldn't have thought that Schiaparelli would have allowed her name (on the frame) to be used on an "older" (previous decade) bag?