ESSE Purse Museum

The ESSE Purse Museum is a museum located in Little Rock, Arkansas featuring women's handbags, and the day-to-day items carried in them, illustrating the stories of American women's lives during the 1900s.[1][2][3][4] Special topic exhibits are hosted,[4][5][6] and the museum has a gift shop.[1] The museum’s name is derived from the Latin infinitive for “to be."[6]

ESSE Purse Museum
Established2013
Location1510 Main Street
Little Rock, Arkansas
Southern United States
Coordinates34°44′02″N 92°16′24″W
TypeFashion Museum
Websiteessepursemuseum.com

History

The museum originated from the founder's interest in folk art.[4] In 2006, her personal collection of thousands of handbags was organized into a traveling exhibition that toured the United States through 2011.[4] Following the tour, the collection was put on display in a historic building in Little Rock's South Main ("SoMa") district.[4]

Exhibits

The permanent exhibits showcase handbags that most women owned from the early 1900s through 1999, giving glimpses into their lives.[4] Display cases set up by decade show the styles of purses women carried and their contents, reflecting the events of each decade and illustrating how war, fashion, and economics influenced the style and function of purses.[4] Special exhibits have included vintage Barbie dolls (2014),[5] a local artist's series of paintings of women and their purses (2017),[4] images and objects from African American women, 1891–1987 (2017),[6] and paper dresses from the 1960s (2018).[7]

  • Reptile skin purse
  • Fabric purse
  • Metal purse
  • Permanent exhibit space
  • Temporary exhibit about eyewear (July 2020)
  • Museum store

References
  1. David Monteith: "Little Rock Purse Museum One Of Only A Handful In The World", KUAR FM 89.1 NPR Public Radio from UA Little Rock, http://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/little-rock-purse-museum-one-only-handful-world, posted Dec 29, 2014, last accessed September 26, 2018.
  2. Reporter Chanley Painter, KARK 4 News at 4: "Handbag History in Little Rock," https://www.kark.com/news/local-news/handbag-history-in-little-rock/1247441206, posted: Jun 18, 2018 05:27 PM CDT, updated: Jun 18, 2018 05:27 PM CDT, last accessed 30 Sep 2018.
  3. Amy Sciarretto: The ESSE Purse Museum Exists But There Are 3 Reasons To Go Besides Being A Handbag Enthusiast, Bustle, posted June 9 2015, https://www.bustle.com/articles/88953-the-esse-purse-museum-exists-but-there-are-3-reasons-to-go-besides-being-a-handbag, last accessed September 26, 2018.
  4. Linda Miller for The Oklahoman: "It's in the bag," https://newsok.com/article/5553483/its-in-the-bag, published June 22, 2017 5:00 AM, last accessed 30 Sep 2018.
  5. Jess Ardrey: "Esse Purse Museum Launches "Barbie: The Vintage Years" Temporary Exhibit Sept. 28", Little Rock Soirée, https://www.littlerocksoiree.com/post/100934/esse-purse-museum-launches-barbie-the-vintage-years-temporary-exhibit-sept-28, September 23, 2014, last accessed September 26, 2018.
  6. Katelynn Caple: "Esse Purse Museum," in The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=12080, Last Updated 6/5/2018, last accessed 3 Nov 2018.
  7. Lydia McAllister: "Esse Purse Museum Gears Up for Cutting Edge Exhibit," Little Rock Soirée, https://www.littlerocksoiree.com/post/121666/esse-purse-museum-gears-up-for-cutting-edge-exhibit, April 25, 2018, last accessed 3 Nov 2018.

See also
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