1900s Gentlemen's Gladstone Bag

A men's Gladstone kit bag in dark tan with brass fittings.

The Gladstone bag denotes a small portmanteau suitcase built over a rigid frame which could separate into two equal sections.

The first example was designed and manufactured by J G Beard at his leather shop in the City of Westminster. He named the creation after the British Prime Minister who he greatly admired, William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898). Typically made of stiff leather and belted with lanyards, a Gladstone bag differs from the suitcase by being deeper in proportion to its length.