Whiting And Davis Purse
1930s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
1970s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
1950s American Clutches
Mid-20th Century Clutches
1970s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
Mid-20th Century American Evening Bags and Minaudières
Late 20th Century American Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
1980s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
Early 20th Century American Vanity Items
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1950s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
21st Century and Contemporary American Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
1940s American Top Handle Bags
1990s American Top Handle Bags
Mid-20th Century American International Style Collectible Jewelry
Crystal, Metal
Mid-20th Century American American Classical Collectible Jewelry
Acrylic
1970s American Shoulder Bags
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Decorative Boxes
Metal
1930s British Evening Bags and Minaudières
People Also Browsed
1960s American Cocktail Dresses
1980s French Evening Bags and Minaudières
1930s British Clutches
1940s French Tote Bags
1950s American Clutches
1920s British Evening Bags and Minaudières
1990s French Evening Bags and Minaudières
1920s French Evening Bags and Minaudières
19th Century Chinese Top Handle Bags
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1930s French Opera Coats
1950s American Novelty Bags
1980s Evening Bags and Minaudières
1990s Coats and Outerwear
1990s British Corsets
1960s Unknown Shawls
Recent Sales
Early 20th Century Canadian Art Deco Vanity Items
1970s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
Early 20th Century American Evening Bags and Minaudières
1920s American Clutches
1980s American Clutches
1920s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
20th Century American Evening Bags and Minaudières
1970s American Handbags and Purses
1980s American Clutches
1960s American Handbags and Purses
1960s American Handbags and Purses
1920s Evening Bags and Minaudières
1950s American Handbags and Purses
1960s Evening Bags and Minaudières
1920s American Top Handle Bags
1960s American Handbags and Purses
1970s American Handbags and Purses
Early 20th Century American Evening Bags and Minaudières
1950s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
Mid-20th Century American Evening Bags and Minaudières
1920s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
1930s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
1920s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
1940s American Handbags and Purses
1970s American Handbags and Purses
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Handbags and Purses
1990s Chinese Evening Bags and Minaudières
1930s Unknown Evening Bags and Minaudières
1930s Unknown Evening Bags and Minaudières
1920s American Top Handle Bags
1920s American Top Handle Bags
1920s American Top Handle Bags
1920s American Top Handle Bags
1960s American Handbags and Purses
1940s Evening Bags and Minaudières
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Handbags and Purses
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Handbags and Purses
1960s Wallets
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Evening Bags and Minaudières
1950s Clutches
Mid-20th Century Clutches
Early 2000s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
Early 2000s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
1960s American Tote Bags
1970s American Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
1950s American Clutches
1930s American Clutches
1960s American Top Handle Bags
1970s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
1940s American Novelty Bags
1950s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
1950s Evening Bags and Minaudières
1960s American Structured Shoulder Bags
1920s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
Early 20th Century American Evening Bags and Minaudières
1920s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
1950s American Top Handle Bags
1940s American Evening Bags and Minaudières
Early 20th Century Art Deco Collectible Jewelry
Metal, Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Top Handle Bags
Whiting And Davis Purse For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Whiting And Davis Purse?
Whiting & Davis for sale on 1stDibs
You might not expect chain-mesh bags to predate sliced bread by three decades, but it’s true. The very first mesh purse was created by Charles Whiting (1864–1940) in 1892 while working for the jewelry manufacturer Wade Davis & Company in Plainville, Massachusetts. Whiting joined the company at the age of 16, and by 1896 he formed a partnership to purchase it, renaming it the Whiting & Davis Company.
While the original Whiting & Davis mesh purse was made entirely by hand — artisans hammered out the links and wove them together — the company developed a machine to automate fabrication in 1912. With the ability to produce more rapidly and prolifically, Whiting & Davis became a veritable mesh empire, creating handbags and purses in all shapes, styles and colors, including ones made from precious metals, painted with Art Deco designs and silk-screened with Impressionistic images. The purses became status icons for the stylish elite, particularly with the flappers of the 1920s.
Over the years, Whiting & Davis struck up partnerships with some of the most talented designers of the time, including Paul Poiret, Elsa Schiaparelli and Elsa Peretti, who used their mesh in elegant pieces for Tiffany & Co., propelling their popularity even further. After a brief hiatus during World War II, when Whiting & Davis produced radar equipment rather than handbags, the brand continued to develop an ever-expanding line of products that included clothing.
In the 1970s, Whiting & Davis accessories and clothing were the rage of the disco scene. By the early 2000s, everyone from Paris Hilton to Lady Gaga donned the brand’s mesh handbags.
Recent innovations to their offerings include color mesh and fine mesh, with the brand refocusing on fashion jewelry with the launch of a new collection in 2013 featuring a revamped vintage snake-bracelet design. The company has been based in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, since 1995, also supplying its renowned chain mesh for industrial uses like work gloves and protective applications such as shark suits for divers.
Find vintage Whiting & Davis mesh handbags, necklaces and other accessories on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right handbags-purses-bags for You
An integral part of fashion, handbags and purses have been indispensable accessories ever since we began to carry around personal items. Level of craftsmanship, style and shape matters — from coin purses in ancient Greece to early 20th-century opera bags and onward, handbags have evolved considerably over the years to meet our needs and desires, whether or not you happen to be prioritizing functionality over a flashy exterior.
Once, a single “It” handbag ruled each fashion season. No more. Today, lovers of vintage handbags are savvier and have a wider range of shopping options. Nevertheless, classics created by the likes of Louis Vuitton, Dior and Balenciaga still rule.
“It is not a fashion bag — it is a statement bag,” says Mightychic's Debra Kent of Hermès's widely beloved accessories. “When you carry an iconic Hermès bag — Birkin, Kelly, Constance — no one knows how long you have been into this culture or if you are a newbie. Your status is validated immediately.”
First released in 1997, Fendi's Baguette rose to fame along with Carrie Bradshaw, the Sex and the City character portrayed by Sarah Jessica Parker. Recently, the design has seen such a resurgence in popularity that Fendi has reissued it.
They are part of design history, so owning a handbag has meaning. As New York–based fashion historian Sarah C. Byrd says, “You have made the choice to invest in this piece because you understand the value of it in the past and in the future to come.”
From a 1980s Chanel black leather quilted mini buckle bag to the rare Hermès Birkin 30cm Himalayan with diamond hardware to a range of 19th-century bags, find a rich variety of vintage and designer handbags and purses spanning numerous brands on 1stDibs — seasonal “It” designation no longer needed.