The Handbag

In a nanosecond world where zip files dwell in cyberspace, how much fun to accessorize with The Handbag, a quirky, yet stylish purse constructed from one continuous zipper. Created by American architect and designer Beth Metsch, The Handbag is chic, sporty and durable—and versatile enough for day or evening wear. Interior zipper pocket and cell phone pocket. 16"l. chain strap. Imported. Nylon zipper construction. Can be hand washed, then laid flat to dry.  12.5"l. x 1"w. x 7.5"h.

Museum Provenance

Like The Handbag, many works in our Renwick Gallery’s collection of 20th-century crafts and in our Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden’s contemporary fine art are created from re-purposed and recycled objects. The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum is dedicated to exhibiting American contemporary crafts and decorative arts from the 19th to the 21st centuries. The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden displays the art of our time in a cylindrical building with adjoining plaza and sunken sculpture garden.

Every Smithsonian purchase will arrive with a museum provenance card explaining how it is adapted from or inspired by an object or objects in our collection.