between the personal bag and the business bag met in the middle with the unisex alms purse. Originating in the Middle Ages, the alms purse is meant to carry coins to donate to the church or the poor. The charitable symbolism of the alms purse later carried over to women's handbags in general; a woman carrying a bag was seen as upper class and therefore potentially using the bag to hold her donations.

During the 1940s, the rationing of textiles for World War II led to the manufacturing of handbags made in materials like raffia