Purses came in all materials during the 18th and 19th century, at the beginning of the 19th century  Ladies purses tended to be made from fabric such as silk, woo land cotton, and for the wealthier were often hand embroidered with elaborate designs. At the end of this century females were starting to be a part of the industrial revolution and if you were lucky enough to have a job in town maybe as a dressmaker, clerk or shop assistant you would be earning a wage and therefor needed a purse to keep there money safe. At this time leather was used as it was a more robust material. The poorer ladies who did laboured work such as the mills would often use a basic drwstring purse kept under there petticoat.
 
This is a nice quality crocodile skin purse with several compartments and a metal clasp, and would have been used by a relativly wealthy lady.
 
In good condition
 
Dimesions: 11cm x 6cm