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An
ideal place to start is by addressing that persistent
question, "What the heck's a carpetbag?"
The carpetbag is a unique, practical, convenient container
for the conveyance of personal goods. It is a type of
luggage which was used by Sir Walter Raleigh, Abe Lincoln,
Mary Poppins and maybe even Cleopatra when she hung-out
with Julius on those romantic Nile cruises.
Carpetbag makers probably first appeared during the age
of the pyramids. The fabric of choice for making them
has always been tapestries which have been woven for thousands
of years. It is thought tapestries originated in mid-east
Asia and were distributed throughout the known world via
caravans over extensive trade routes. They were used by
the ancient civilizations, and still are today, as decorative
wall hangings and as floor coverings - this may be the
source of the *carpet*bag misnomer. |
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Contrary to popular belief, few carpetbags were ever made
from carpeting. In the 1850’s the US Patent Office
issued a patent for an  automatic
carpet weaving machine which inexpensively produced a
type of carpet similar to that still in use today. Sensing
an opportunity, carpetbag manufacturers tried this new
carpet product but, because of its bulk and stiffness,
found it useful for only the flap-opening, small purse-size
bags like the original shown here.
The manufacturing of carpetbags in the US continued unimpeded
until after the War Between the States when, through no
fault of its own, the entire industry became a victim
of the times. Tales emanating from the South about the
sordid deeds of some scurrilous opportunists called “Carpetbaggers”
were widely circulated by exploitive politicians and a
willing press. Fearing guilt by association, carpetbags
were forsaken by their owners and banished to the attics
and trashpiles of yesteryear. Eventually, with carpetbags
virtually forced from public view, an entire industry
fatally succumbed to the cultural leprosy which we know
today as political incorrectness. (Sigh!) How true it
is that nothing is new except the history we have not
read. 
Fortunately for all of us, whatever goes around comes
around and the irresistible charm and diversified functionality
of the once ubiquitous carpetbags are, again, gracing
us with their charming presence. And, to them we say,
"Welcome back, old friends. Make yourselves right
at home!!!" ---
--- and apparently they are, according to this owner’s
e-mail comments: .....”My beloved carpetbag is as
much at home today in the overhead of a jetliner as it
was long ago in the boot of a bouncing stagecoach.”.....
Joyce L. - FL - rkaley@peganet.com
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