This is a wonderful, original, mid-nineteenth century traveling handbag or luggage case often referred to as a 'carpetbag'. When the United States' railroad system expanded and spread across the country the early 1850s, countless thousands of people, many of them new migrants, traveled the rails with all their worldly possessions carried within inexpensive bags made of carpet. During the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War, Northerners who ventured South in search of profit and political opportunity carried their personal goods and belongings in carpetbags and were derisively called carpetbaggers by the locals.

Made with remnants of two colorful pieces of carpeting, which appears to be of hooked-rug type of construction, this handbag specimen has a lockable clasp but is missing the key. When closed, the bag measures 16" long x 3" wide and exhibits a large, jaw-hinged, iron rim with a brass locking clasp. With the mouth in the open position, the bag body expands to almost 8" wide and 10" deep. One side of the brass locking device exhibits a military motif of a small (1/2" high) spreadwinged eagle applied to a background of some thirty tiny engraved five-point stars. Opposite side bears the engraving of the possible maker "Sakent / B St / R. Neumann". The carpet bag handle is a leather strap 10" long x ½" wide that bears a 1" long, brass clamp with a 1" diameter brass ring at either end that is attached to the iron hinge rim. One side of the bag exterior is constructed with heavy, green-colored cording hooked into place and ornately trimmed with gold colored cording that frames a monogram of initials some 2¾" high that spell 'C A F'. Opposite side of bag is of brown or rust colored cording with a beige trim and beige colored monogram of the same initials. Exterior bottom of the bag is a 4" wide strip of brown leather veneer glued over pasteboard and sewn and riveted in place. Some thinning and fading of the bag's body, along with a small number of cording pulls or moth nips are evident at the folds near the hinge area. Metal jaw hinge retains 95% of its original black leather veneer covering. Carpetbag clasp is in the locked position and does not open. This fine looking travel artifact would make an ideal addition to any nineteenth century display or civilian attire.