Carpet Bag
PeriodCirca 1850-1890
Place MadeNew Jersey or Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
MediumWool, cotton, linen, leather, steel
Dimensions14 × 20 × 6 in. (35.6 × 50.8 × 15.2 cm)
ClassificationsTrunks and Luggage
Credit LineGift of Miss Mary Rue, 1932
Object number132
DescriptionA traveling bag made of ingrain woven wool carpeting in shades of red, dark red, off white, and dark brown in a bold stylized floral and scroll pattern. The bag is overall rectangular, with a reinforced leather base and a hinged steel open/close top frame. The interior of the bag is lined with cotton and linen, and includes a simple cotton panel divider. The bag's original sewn leather handles are detached.Curatorial RemarksCarpet bags were enduringly popular luggage pieces from the early 19th century into the 20th century. With the development of ingrain carpeting in the 1820s and 1830s, remnants were fashioned into lightweight, sturdy, and practical traveling bags. Many were designed along the same general lines, in an overall rectangular shape with a reinforced base and a steel upper closure frame, often fitted with a locking mechanism. The bag body had no metal framing, allowing the traveler to fully pack the bag with clothing and accessories. The word "carpetbagger" became connected in a negative way with Northern speculators who traveled to former Southern Confederate states to exploit local politics and land availability immediately after the end of the Civil War. In literature, Jules Verne's traveling hero Phineas Fogg in "Around the World in Eighty Days" carried a carpet bag. Female American journalist Nellie Bly (1867-1922) packed a change of clothes and accessories in a small carpet bag in 1889 to begin her round-the-world trip publicized in American newspapers. Carpet bags gradually fell out of favor in the 20th century with the introduction of modern synthetic fabrics, lightweight metal frames, and other modern luggage designs.NotesThis carpet bag was donated by lifelong Freehold resident Mary Lou Rue in 1832.
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