Carpet Bag
PeriodCirca 1839
Place MadePossibly Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Spain
MediumWool, jute, linen, cotton, leather, steel, iron
Dimensions23 × 19 × 5.5 in. (58.4 × 48.3 × 14 cm)
ClassificationsTrunks and Luggage
Credit LineGifrt of Mrs. Charles Bennett and Miss Louise Hartshorne, 1932
Object number129
DescriptionA traveling carpet bag of boldly figured red, ochre yellow, brown, and off white wool ingrain style carpeting on a jute and wool base. The tall bag has an embossed leather rectangular base panel and a covered hinged steel upper open/close frame around the upper portion. The interior of the bag is lined with linen and cotton and includes a side pocket. The bag retains one of its original brown leather handstitched handles, although the handle has detached. The bag also includes a pressed steel lock plate, engraved with "Charles L. Hendrickson / Philada."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.NotesCharles John Hendrickson purchased this carpet bag for a trip to Europe in 1839. Charles was born in Middletown, Monmouth County, New Jersey, in 1805, the son of John Hendrickson (1773-1807) and Mary Lloyd Hendrickson (1805-1865). Charles married Julia Schureman in 1826. The couple lived in Philadelphia, where Charles ran a highly successful mercantile partnership named Hendrickson, Clarkson & Company. The firm dealt in carpeting and related products from the European continent and the British Isles. Hendrickson developed his business concerns for twenty years, after which he retired and returned to Middletown. Until his death in 1889 Charles Hendrickson lived as a gentleman farmer, running the family property and becoming involved in local politics and society.
Collections
