SPECIAL POST – Llewellyn, Inc. and A Lewsid Jewel by Llewellyn Handbags – With input from the daughter of Llewellyn Bley
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| Woven plastic Lewsid Jewel handbag, from the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum. This color is often referred to as "amber" or "tortoise shell." |
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| Original maker sticker inside above handbag. Many bags of this era are missing labels, or their gold-stamped maker names have worn off the linings. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum. |
The Vintage Purse Museum was surprised by the limited amount of information available about Lewsid Jewel by Llewellyn handbags, considering their beauty and desirability. Which is why we were delighted to connect with Llewellyn Bley's daughter Anne Schaeffer, who was kind enough to share some family memories, as well as details about her father's work. (For brevity, we will refer to the full name of “A Lewsid Jewel by Llewellyn” as “Lewsid” or “Lewsid Jewel” throughout this article.) Be sure to scroll all the way down for more pics and information.
First, a bit of biographical information about the four who initially *comprised Lewsid/Llewellyn, Inc. We reached out to relatives of some of the other business associates, but they declined to be interviewed. As with prior historical articles on this website, we reiterate that not all family members or former employees of handbag makers wish to share their stories, and we completely respect their privacy.
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Llewellyn “Llew” Bley (pronounced “Bly,” 1902-1984), born in New Jersey. More information below.
Sidney Wichick (1916-2007), born in New York, the “Sid” in Lewsid. The 1940 US Census says that he was a “salesman” in the field of “dress trimmings.” *His role at Llewellyn Inc. is unclear, but it’s likely he was in charge of sales and marketing.
Mortimer “Morty” Edelstein (1914-1997), born in New York. The 1940 US Census lists him as a bookkeeper and his wife Patricia as an artist. Morty had a line of handbags under the name “An M.E. Product” in the 1940s (possibly into the 1950s), then partnered with Fred Metter in the Fre-Mor handbag company in 1949 (based on information from the website of The Bag Lady). After leaving Lewsid and Fre-Mor, he started Miami Handbag Co. in Florida. This company made the acrylic bag line Patricia of Miami, named for Morty’s wife, and Leslie of Miami wood handbags. He was also affiliated with the Dame Belt & Bag Company. *His role at Lewsid/Llewellyn Inc. is unclear, but he may have been in charge of finance.
Ferdinand “Fred” Metter (approx. 1900-1975), born in Russia or Poland (source documents differ) emigrated to the US by way of France in 1904. The 1940 US Census states that he is “Corp. President” of a “leather novelties” company and that his wife Ann is a bookkeeper. He and Morty Edelstein started the Fre-Mor handbag company in 1949, dissolved their partnership around 1951 and Fred acquired another partner (per the website of The Bag Lady). *It is unclear what Fred’s role was at Lewsid/Llewellyn Inc., but a source (who declined to be identified for this article) said, among other responsibilities, he designed bags at Fre-Mor.
*Explanation of asterisked items above: Although The Vintage Purse Museum scoured numerous online resources, we could not find the job titles of the four men. We looked at corporation listings for New York and New Jersey, and found one possible match, a March 25, 1948 filing of “Llewellyn Associates, Inc.” of New Jersey, which was where the Bleys lived. However, there was no corresponding information as to who made up the corporation, its business category, or the city in which it was located.
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| Llewellyn, Inc. white "shell" plastic handbag. Note the shape of the clasp. These appeared on many Llewellyn plastic and wood bags in slightly different configurations. |
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| Llewellyn, Inc. white "shell" plastic handbag, same material as the one above, different shape. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum. |
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Llewellyn, Inc. name etched inside hinge on bag above. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum. 20 Oct 1955, Thu Star-Gazette (Elmira, New York) Newspapers.com |
Per the December 1967 Gazette of the US Patent Office, the name “A Lewsid Jewel by Llewellyn” was trademarked in 1952 and canceled in 1961. This may have been a New York State trademark rather than a federal trademark. Additionally, while researching other handbag companies and interviewing relatives of manufacturers, The Vintage Purse Museum has learned that there are different types of partnerships. It’s possible that the three other men were not partners in the corporation, but employees and/or shareholders. Again, their exact roles cannot be verified.
Llewellyn Bley’s handbags had three brand names: “Llewellyn” (early to mid-1950s), which were acetate or acrylic (commonly and generically referred to as Lucite, which is a Dupont trade name for their brand of acrylic), “Llewellyn Bley,” used in his later years (approx. 1959-1960s), and “Lewsid Jewel” (mid to late-1950s), which was a trademark (not a patent or a corporation) and an amalgamation of the names Llewellyn (Bley) and Sidney (Wichick).
30 Aug 1953, Sun The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland) Newspapers.com
Llewellyn’s daughter Anne Schaeffer said the combined "Lewsid" name was also a play on the word “lucid,” as the company’s hangtag and logo were in the shape of a diamond—a “lucid jewel”—a name that also gives a nod to Bley’s (also, possibly, Wichick’s) company Jewel Plastics. Other sources alternately refer to this company as "Jewel Plastic" without the "s". There are also 1950s handbags imprinted with “Plastic Jewel NYC USA” on the bottom, but Anne told us these have no connection to her father’s work.
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Sleek and sophisticated "pearl gray" plastic handbag marked Llewellyn, Inc. on the interior hardware. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum. 15 Oct 1952, Wed Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) Newspapers.com |
We couldn’t find a corporation listing in New York or New Jersey called “Jewel Plastics,” but we did find an August 6, 1948 listing in New Jersey for Plastics Manufacturing, Inc. with no further identifying information. Both Llewellyn Associates, Inc. and Plastics Manufacturing, Inc. were filed in New Jersey in 1948, however, this does not guarantee that this was owned by Bley or Bley and Wichick as there is no additional documentation. A number of plastics companies started around this time on the East Coast as it was a burgeoning industry for many categories of items.
Janice Berkson, owner of Deco Jewels in New York shared some information about the four men’s collaboration in her book “Carry Me – 1950s Lucite Handbags.” The Vintage Purse Museum’s curator has spoken to her on several occasions and she’s been lovely and helpful. There are also Llewellyn notes in the Lucite reference book “A Certain Style” by Robert Gottlieb and Frank Maresca.
Per Berkson's book, the September 1951 edition of the trade publication Handbags & Accessories announced that Llewellyn Bley and Sidney Wichick of Jewel Plastic(s) Corp. and Fred Metter and Morty Edelstein of Fre-Mor would be combining forces to create Llewellyn, Inc. with the handbag line “Lewsid Jewel by Llewellyn.”
19 Dec 1954, Sun Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin) Newspapers.comShe also wrote: “Llewellyn Bley was the designing genius behind the Llewellyn handbag line,” and mentioned him learning to carve ivory from his father (more below), and that among his ornately-styled bags were a pagoda, a ribbed cube, an interwoven Lucite basket, and the beehive.
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| 1952 patent for the original "beehive bag," screenshot from Google Patents. |
In Robert Gottlieb and Frank Maresca’s book “A Certain Style,” there are photos of handbags that attribute their plastic frames to “Jewel Plastics” with beadwork done by Fre-Mor.
The mid-century handbag business was quite insular—that is, nearly everyone knew everyone—or was related to someone in the business. You often see fathers, sons, daughters, siblings, in-laws, etc. working in the same company for a while and then moving on to other handbag firms. While we can only speculate, it’s likely that Llew and Sid, as Jewel Plastics, were initially the plastic suppliers for Fre-Mor’s beautifully beaded and plastic-framed designs, which are also prized among collectors.
Per Handbags & Accessories magazine (as noted above), this prior business relationship led to the formation of “Lewsid Jewel by Llewellyn” handbags, with the four men keeping their other businesses. Some references indicate Fre-Mor and Jewel Plastics “merged” to form Llewellyn, Inc., but these were completely separate companies, with the men moving on to other endeavors within a decade. It appears that Metter and Edelstein parted ways at Fre-Mor in 1951, shortly after they joined Lewsid/Llewellyn Inc., but Metter kept Fre-Mor going with his new partner. Edelstein was also gone from Llewellyn, Inc. by 1952.
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| Lewsid Jewel velvet and embellished handbags, from the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum. |
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| Example of a Lewsid Jewel by Llewellyn gold-stamped maker mark. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum. |
The September 1957 edition of Handbags & Accessories (an original copy is in the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum) has advertisements for these different companies—as well as separate New York City showroom addresses: Miami Handbags (Morty’s company; 347 Fifth Ave.), Fre-Mor (Fred’s company; 142 Fifth Ave.) and Llewellyn (171 Madison Ave.). Below is a photo of the descriptive Llewellyn listing from page 34 and a photo of two Llewellyn handbags from page 15. While the trademarked name Lewsid isn’t mentioned, these types of faux-gem, glitter glue and needlework embellished handbags were generally imprinted via gold stamp on the lining, “Lewsid Jewel by Llewellyn.”
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| Llewellyn listing from the Sept. 1957 issue of Handbags & Accessories. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum. |
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| Advertisement in the Sept. 1957 issue of trade publication Handbags & Accessories. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum. |
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| Embellished Lewsid navy blue bag from the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum. |
Some of Llewellyn Bley’s plastic handbags were also labeled “Lewsid Jewel,” but others simply have the name “Llewellyn” engraved on the interior metal hardware. Bley’s most popular design is, arguably, the beehive handbag, a plastic creation that featured metal bees on top. Bley filed for a patent for the original version of this bag in 1951 and received it in 1952. This design was referenced later that year by Abe Rothman, who patented a similar handbag in lightweight plastic, which was produced by Elsa Manufacturing, a company located in the Midwest. The Code Authority of The Ladies Handbag Industry (known under slightly different names over the years), an organization of handbag makers that began in 1934 under the auspices of the National Recovery Act, tried very hard to discourage patent infringement, but it was a persistent problem and source of litigation among manufacturers over many decades. So, it’s quite remarkable for Rothman to have given proper due to Bley in his patent application.
Anne Schaeffer told us that her father, who was called “Llew” by most everyone, was taught the art of ivory carving by his German-born father Edward Bley (1878-1952). Llewellyn’s mother was Alice Clarke Bley (1882-1949) and he had a sister, Helen Bley Torsiello (1904-1971).
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| Llewellyn "Llew" Bley and his father Edward Bley, from whom he learned the art of ivory carving. Photo courtesy Anne Schaeffer. |
The Vintage Purse Museum found a 1924 Newark address directory that says Llewellyn Bley worked at “Art Craft Novelty Co,” as did his father Edward. A 1926 directory says he was a “combmaker.” We looked up the address given for “Art Craft Novelty Co.” and it is a residential neighborhood, so it’s possible that father and son were doing contract work from home. (The 1910 US Census says Edward was an engraver of umbrella handles. It’s interesting to see the evolution of their craft via old documents.)
According to the 1940 US Census, Llewellyn Bley was a celluloid button carver. The same record shows that Edward was a carver of pearl buttons. Anne told us that her father and grandfather worked at the Rochester Button Co. prior to 1940.
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| Another of Llewellyn Bley's 1952 patents, screenshot from Google Patents. |
In 1952, Llewellyn married Rosalind Sweet (1920-2005), and they had two children, daughter Anne (whose 1953 birth was announced in Handbags & Accessories) and son Llewellyn (1955-2021).
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| Llewellyn "Llew" Bley and his wife Rosalind Sweet Bley. Photo courtesy Anne Schaeffer. |
Rosalind came to work at Llewellyn, Inc. in 1952 as a bookkeeper. Anne said the story goes that when Llewellyn met Rosalind, she was carrying a bag by Wilardy—a competing handbag manufacturer. This was a circumstance her soon-to-be husband Llewellyn quickly remedied. Regardless, said Anne, Will Hardy, creator of Wilardy handbags, was an occasional dinner guest!
Llewellyn Inc. had about 50 employees at its peak in the mid-1950s. A 1958 address directory says Llewellyn Bley was employed at (or in) “Plastics NY.” As the name is in capital letters, it’s possible this was an abbreviation of the full name of his business (Jewel Plastics) or it could simply be the category.
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| Bag by Llewellyn mirror from the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum. Our Llewellyn mirrors were wrapped in paper sleeves, but others were packaged in clear vinyl envelopes. |
Fun Llewellyn Bley facts, courtesy of Anne: 1. He also carved cat-eye glasses. 2. The purse mirrors that came with some Llewellyn bags and are marked with the Llewellyn name are his exact signature. 3. While The Vintage Purse Museum’s Llewellyn Bley signature mirror (see photo above) came wrapped in a wax paper sleeve and was tucked inside a purse pocket, Llewellyn mirrors and plastic combs were also packaged in clear vinyl envelope-shaped coin purses. 4. Llewellyn Bley used raw materials from Rohm and Haas, a Philadelphia-based plastics manufacturer.
Rohm and Haas was best known for selling Plexiglas (an R&H trademark) in the 1940s-1950s. It is not known if Bley ever actually created handbags made of Dupont’s brand of acrylic called Lucite, a proper noun that is often used by vintage collectors and dealers interchangeably—and sometimes incorrectly—instead of the generic and more accurate words “plastic” or “acrylic.” This is akin to the way people will use the brand name “Kleenex” instead of saying “tissues.” (There are other types of plastic that were used in handbags of this era, such as acetate, which is also often incorrectly identified as Lucite.)
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Lewsid Jewel by Llewellyn carved wood and embellished bag from the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum. 10 Sep 1959, Thu Pasadena Independent (Pasadena, California) Newspapers.com |
Some Llewellyn bags that no longer have their maker name (sticker or lining is missing, or the gold imprint has faded) may be identified by the elongated clasp with a plastic (or other material) ornament atop, but Anne cautioned that other makers may have used this type of clasp.
By 1959, cheaper, imported molded-plastic handbags began to take over the industry, so Llew Bley started making other products. He created custom plastic bathroom accessories such as wastebaskets (see photo) under the name “Handcarved by Llewellyn” at his factory. His business at that time was Custom Plastics, and was located on the family’s four-acre property. These elegant pieces were sold at better department stores. In the 1960s, he carved gun stocks for New Jersey state troopers, which likely explains his foray into wood handbags, although we can't be sure which came first—the gun stocks or the bags.
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| Custom Plastics "Handcarved by Llewellyn" wastebasket. Photo courtesy Anne Schaeffer. |
Anne's father had a pragmatic view of his work. While many of his handbags, including the sleek and iconic beehive were, indeed, expensive for the time, the clientele who bought the lower price-point designs were the everywoman, including, he said, “Mrs. Blum, the butcher’s wife.” On behalf of collectors who cherish the craftsmanship behind all of his handbags, our thought is that, without ever knowing it, Mr. Bley had elevated the everywoman to fashion queen.
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The Vintage Purse Museum is extremely grateful to Anne Schaeffer for sharing her father’s story. Other info was found via paid subscriptions to MyHeritage.com and Newspapers.com. We also appreciate assistance from Janice Berkson of Deco Jewels, The Bag Lady and Google. This article c2022 by Wendy Dager/The Vintage Purse Museum. Please request permission prior to using photos or info from this website: info@vintagepursemuseum.com.
Important message for collectors: Anne explained to us that these types of plastic handbags weren’t made to last over time or variable weather conditions and temperatures, which is why many suffered damage that ranges from minor dings and scratches to completely “melting.” The Vintage Purse Museum cautions that, as with all acrylic, acetate or other plastic handbags (including those with celluloid frames), if you have one that appears to have “rot” or is exuding a vinegary odor, keep it separate from your other plastic purses as this type of “disease” can spread.
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| Example of a Llewellyn hangtag. Photo courtesy Anne Schaffer. |
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