Plastics evolved during the years preceding the fifties. After celluloid was discovered in 1872, it was used primarily as in imitation material for natural plastics such as ivory and tortoise shell. In 1905 came Bakelite, a discovery of Belgian chemist Leo Backeland. Once the patents expired on Bakelite in 1927, all sort of plastics pervaded the market. Plastics were so omnipresent by the 1950s, that its influence even touched women's handbags. Just before the Second World War, translucent plastics 'Plexiglass', 'Lucite' and 'Acetate' came on the market to be used by the fashion industry. The post-World War II era was a time when people were enthralled by 'the modern' and plastic handbags looked just like that, with their geometric shapes and modern designs. The major manufacturers in the late 1940s and through the 1950s were small companies that included: Myles Original, Gilli Originals, Wilardy Originals, Rialto, Tyrolean Inc., Llewellyn Inc., Dorset-Rex, Charles S. Kahn, Maxim, Majestic, Patricia of Miami, Miami and Florida Handbags. Each manufacturer developed its own designs. Tyrolean often trimmed its bags with a metal filigree. Wilardy manufactured the dressiest and most expensive bags. Llewellyn often lined its bags in silk. As manufacturers tried to out-do eachother, the odd shapes and ornaments constrained the bags as they became more and more eccentric: harmonicas, pagodas, bird cages, beehives, coffins, etc. These original plastic handbags have become a collector's craze. To many, these bags have an aesthetic value displayed through their extraordinary shapes and adornments of faux pearls, rhinestones, stars, stickers, shells, and even flowers, which give them an appeal that transcends time. From: Sculpture to Wear, Plastic Handbags, Revised 2nd Edition, K.E. Dooner, Schiffer Publishing Ltd., Atglen Pennsylvania USA, 2005