AA-2026-CAE3BE
On the image
Someone spent considerable time knotting cord into this bag in the 1970s, believing it was both stylish and a statement of individuality. It was a simple truth that if you owned a macrame purse, you were doing something right with your life.
The chunky texture and natural fibres were a deliberate rejection of plastic modernity, implying a connection to something more authentic, or at least less mass-produced. This particular example includes subtle brown suede accents, suggesting a higher level of commitment than simple jute or hemp.
Today it sits, perhaps on a vintage chair, a monument to a fleeting trend that promised bohemian freedom but delivered mostly macrame. It served its purpose by being exactly what it was meant to be for a brief, glorious period.
The historian's note
The item depicted is a macrame handbag, a prominent fashion accessory during the 1970s. Macrame, the art of knotting cord into decorative patterns, experienced a significant revival in North America and Europe during this decade.
This resurgence was deeply intertwined with the era's counter-culture movement, which emphasised self-sufficiency, handcrafted goods, and natural materials over industrial production. Macrame objects like plant hangers, wall art, and various forms of apparel and accessories became symbols of a bohemian aesthetic.
The choice of thick, undyed cords and often natural elements such as wood beads or leather accents, as seen here, was characteristic. Whilst once ubiquitous, these items are now viewed as definitive markers of 1970s design and fashion.
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Visually related — by likeness
1970s Macrame Purse, Domestic Interior. 1970–1979. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-CAE3BE. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/1970s-macrame-purse-domestic-interior.
@misc{aaAA2026CAE3BE,
title = {1970s Macrame Purse, Domestic Interior},
year = {1970–1979},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-CAE3BE},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/1970s-macrame-purse-domestic-interior}
}TY - ART TI - 1970s Macrame Purse, Domestic Interior PY - 1970–1979 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-CAE3BE UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/1970s-macrame-purse-domestic-interior ER -
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