Unraveling Corde's History and My Collection

  Even though I tend to lean towards fashions of the 1920's and 1930's, I have a growing love affair with WWII era Corde purses.  They're usually black, which has always been my preferred color, the cord detailing is done in beautiful Art Deco patterns, and, what is probably their best feature, they're incredibly well made and sturdy.  I've dubbed one of my bags my 'antiquing purse' which I use on a regular basis, and have no fear of it being too fragile.  Information on these bags is few and far between, though I believe I've started to unravel the mystery of their origins.

Advertisement from The Newton Graphic, May 1945.

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  Corde, pronounced "corday", is a bag made of a buckrum base, lined in silk or other fabric, and the cord embroidery is either rayon or silk.  This embroidery is made on a Bonnaz-Cornely machine in a 'plaque', or flat shape before being trimmed and attached to the bag.  The original Bonnaz embroidery machine was invented by Antione Bonnaz in 1865.  It was used to imitate tambour embroidery, a type of chain stitch done by hand, but could be mass produced with this machine.  Ercole Cornely further developed this machine and it became the product used to make the cord embroidery seen on these purses.

  Corde purses, though technically in existence since the late 1920s*, became well-known in the 1930's, becoming increasingly popular by 1942, and continued into the 1950's.  The bags of this style are all called Corde and several brands produced them over the years, though the story begins with Annette.  Annette Handbag Company started in 1931.  From 1931 to 1938 Annette made cord embroidery bags as well as others, though in 1938 they exclusively produced Corde bags.  The company originally called their bags Corday, but changed to Corde in 1936 to avoid confusion with a perfume at the time also called Corday.  In 1939 they patented their products as Genuine "CORDE", and made it known that they were the originators of Corde handbags, and that anything marked Genuine "CORDE" is exclusively theirs(though other companies were also making cord embroidery bags as long as Annette was).  After losing a court case in 1941 over their ownership of the term, it seems other companies used it as a mark of quality to advertise their versions of this style of bag, and from then on Genuine Corde bags could be from a number of brands and weren't only associated with Annette(as is seen on numerous advertisements).

Annette's patent for the word "Corde", 1936.

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A letter to sellers of Annette Corde handbags addressing authenticity.

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Advertisement from Luggage & Leather Goods, August 1939.

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Advertisement from Stearns department store, 1940.

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Advertisement from 1950.

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  These purses came in all shapes and sizes, as well as colors(primarily black, brown, and navy, but also in multi-color).  Some had zippers, others with brass turn-lock closures, those with zippers commonly had Lucite pulls, and some also had Lucite handles(I've also seen some with beading called CordeBead by Lumered, said to be 1950's/1960's).  Bags with their original Lucite pulls or intact handles and are marked with Genuine Corde have a greater value than those without them.  Because of these factors, Corde purses range in value from $5 to upwards of $100.

Advertisement from The Newton Graphic, December 1946.

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Advertisement from The Californian, August 1949.

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  Corde purses are a very common find in antique stores, most likely because they are so well made that they've survived better than other purses of that era.  After collecting five, I decided against getting anymore unless I found something really unique, though it is tempting to buy more since I see them so often.

The first two purses are clutch bags.  The black one with its intact Lucite pull was the first Corde piece I found after learning about these purses, and I was so excited not only to find one, but to find one that was complete!  The other is a chocolate brown color, but missing its Lucite pull and has slight fading.

This is the purse I called my 'antiquing purse'.  I found it at an estate sale for a low price, the only damage being the lining of the handle deteriorating and some wear on the label, which says 'An Annette Product'.  I had some vintage black seam binding in my inherited sewing box, so I used that to make a new lining that I just hand-stitched over the original.  This way, if I ever decided to sell it, the Corde purists out there could remove my lining and the bag would be in its original state.

(I did some photo editing to attempt to bring out the label, which is very worn)

This next purse is probably one of my best ever finds.  In a very shabby chic antique store with very little actual antiques in it(you know the ones), I found this absolute gem.  It is a black evening bag(I presume by the style), with brass turn-lock closure, in almost mint condition aside from heavy wear on the stamped label, which reads 'Arvey' Genuine Corde.  It is my only marked Genuine Corde purse, and I bought it for seven dollars!  I could barely contain my excitement when I found it, and it remains a constant reminder that buying in a physical store will bear much greater(and cheaper!) finds.

When I found this last purse, I already told myself I didn't need to buy anymore Cordes since my last purchase couldn't be beat, right?  Then I found this - black bag with its Lucite pull and both Lucite handles, no serious damage to any of the plastic, and in an amber color.  I couldn't pass on such a beautiful bag, so I caved and bought it, though I can't say I regret it!  (Unfortunately, there was a label that was cut out, but based on the size and where it's sewn in, there's a chance this is also an Annette bag, though I'll never know for sure.)

  I had a lot of fun venturing down the road of Corde handbags and their history, and I have a better understanding and appreciation for this beloved vintage purse.  Again, I don't plan on adding to my collection of Cordes, as much as I love them.  However, I may eat my words when I come across that diamond in the rough during a future antiquing trip.



Further Research:
New York Court of Appeals, 1941 - This is a case between Annette Handbag Co. and Mercury Handbags Co. over the use of the term CORDE and Genuine CORDE.  In it is more information than I've ever come across in regards to this type of purse, and I highly recommend a read through for those fascinated by Corde and its history.  *This case mentions that Corde bags have been around since 1926, though I've unfortunately found no examples of what they might have looked like.
Bag Lady University - This links to a list of brands that produced Corde bags, with some advertisements
MAAS(Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences): Cornely Emboidery Machine - An antique example of the machine that eventually produced cord embroidery(there are also videos on YouTube of later versions of the machine in action)