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The purse was bought about ten years ago at the Surry Hills market here in Sydney. To my eye it is an object that “crosses over” a few collecting areas. It is a piece of retro fashion, art-deco, Australiana, leather and metal work. An unusual art deco object!

I believe it is made of lizard skin and looks to have been repaired to one edge by someone over the last eighty years. It retains the original lining and the little ‘stamp case’ also made of lizard skin. I love the handle to the back as well as the handle in the shape of a flash too on the other side. There are no marks on the purse and no label. I especially like the construction of the two different areas of the purse with the internal metal structure. All in all there are three purses in one!

But it is the clip latch that probably took my eye at first! Two semi-circles and a rainbow arch in between. It reminds me of the Sydney Harbour Bridge! The ‘coat-hanger’ was opened in 1932. The bridge was an important symbol in its time uniting the two opposing forces of north and south in the Sydney mentality. No proof of a link between the two objects but ……. To me it’s a use of Australian motif that is strongly indicative of a shift away from the design influences of the United Kingdom towards a more inclusive Australian aesthetic.

Dimensions:
Length: 20.5 cm or 8".
Width: 12.5 cm or 5".