SPECIAL POST: Nat Lewis Purses, Inc. and The History of Lewis Handbags

1940s Lewis handbag, brown wool with molded plastic faux-tortoise top and matching coin purse, mirror, and comb. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum.

27 Sep 1946, Fri Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, Texas) Newspapers.com

Nat Lewis Purses, Inc. and The History of Lewis Handbags 

With input from the grandson of Nat Lewis

The Vintage Purse Museum has a number of Lewis handbags in our collection, and we'd planned to cover the history of the company for some time. It wasn't until we acquired a 1930s suede Lewis evening bag and found an accompanying advertisement calling it the "Stardust," that we felt the stars—pun very much intended—had aligned. So we set about our research, which included the hope of finding a Lewis family member.

1935 Nat Lewis "Stardust" brown suede bag with inset rhinestones (the "stars"), and back strap. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum.

18 Nov 1935, Mon The Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati, Ohio) Newspapers.com

Sure enough, we located Nat Lewis's grandson Steven Schreckinger, who very kindly shared some wonderful personal stories about his dapper and dynamic maternal grandfather. You'll read these stories below. But first, we must emphasize an extremely important aspect of Lewis handbags. The company was not, nor has it ever been, called "Crown" Lewis. This is a common misnomer, presumably based on Lewis's crown logo, which usually appears above the company name on its bags' labels, and its maker imprint on the lining of the bags. 

Another significant detail is that the company was originally called Nat Lewis Purses, Inc. and, later, Lewis Purses, Inc. We mention this because there is some dispute as to the propriety of using the word "purse" to describe this type of item, while "handbag," was (and still is) the more popular descriptor in US marketing. The Vintage Purse Museum's curator wrote an article addressing this controversy, and we'd like to think we now have Nat Lewis to retroactively, albeit inadvertently, confirm our conclusion that the word "purses" is an acceptable synonym.

Photo of Nat Lewis, courtesy of his grandson, Steven Schreckinger.

Nat Lewis was born in Charleston, South Carolina (some sources cite Alabama as his birthplace) in 1881 to Samuel Lewis (b.?-d. 1901) and Ray Levy Lewis (1859-1925). (Nat's mother's birth name may have been Rachel.) He had six siblings: Benjamin, Harry, Joseph, Sadie, Helen, and David. Benjamin was a longtime partner at Nat Lewis's haberdashery stores, while David was an integral part of the handbag business.

We found documents identifying Nat as "Nathan" or "Nathaniel," but we are unsure of his birth name. It's clear, though, that he used "Nat" for most of his life. 

Nat Lewis signed up for the US military draft in 1917, then again in 1942. (This was known as "The Old Man's Draft" or "Fourth Registration," in which men aged 45-64 registered, not for active duty, but to potentially help the war effort in other capacities.) In 1922, he married Mollie Forscher (1890-1959, birth year varies in online documents). They had two daughters, Barbara (1923-2022) and Natalie (1928-1999). Steven Schreckinger, Barbara's son, told us that his mother had worked as a handbag buyer for her father's company.

Nat Lewis opened his first haberdashery in 1909 in New York. The earliest mention of his store that we could find in a newspaper archive was in 1910, when he reported a break-in. The burglars stole $500 worth of merchandise, including "neckwear, gloves and jewelry." The article said the store was located at 23 W. 42nd St.

Later advertisements show that the address was 25 W. 42nd St., so it's unclear if he moved or if the 1910 newspaper article about the burglary gave the incorrect address. In those early years, Nat Lewis also had a store at 569 Melrose Ave. in the Bronx. By 1929, he had a store at the Waldorf-Astoria on 34th St. But his true love—besides Mollie—was the theatre district, in the midst of the Broadway scene. 

Original plaque that was outside Nat Lewis's store. Photo courtesy Steven Schreckinger.

There are numerous newspaper society columns mentioning Nat Lewis and his shop in association with Broadway and its actors, their performances, their everyday apparel, and their theatrical attire. He had a store at 1580 Broadway (later located at 1637 Broadway) that carried his regular inventory, but also catered to those in need of dance recital costumes and accessories. By all accounts, the genial Nat was well-liked by his patrons. In December 1921, he took out an ad in The Vaudeville News, wishing a Merry Christmas to all his friends. 

Nat's grandson Steven, who was very young when his grandfather passed away in 1956, wrote, "I have a memory that he loved to be a man about town in New York and frequented the Copa Cabana. He was a regular there and I remember him taking me." Steven once saw Sammy Davis, Jr. perform at the Copa Cabana, but thinks it may have been his parents who took him on that visit.

Another story that Steven shared with us is timely considering the recent passing of baseball legend Willie Mays (1931-2024). Steven wrote (lightly edited): "I remember that the New York Giants (baseball team) would frequent my grandfather's store on Broadway. In 1951 when Willie Mays joined the team...his Giants' teammates brought him into the store. He was penniless and my grandfather extended him credit so he could buy clothes, which he did there for years. Willie moved to New Rochelle and we lived right across the New Rochelle border in Scarsdale, and he and his wife would frequently come to our house for dinner and we would go to his. I have many photos of myself as a young boy sitting in his lap in our house and at the Polo Grounds where the Giants played until they moved to San Francisco."

Nat Lewis's stores' history is as interesting as the man himself. In 1932, a newspaper reported that the Broadway store was burglarized by 22-year-old "platinum blonde artist's model" Rita La Conde and her brother, former Nat Lewis employee Philip Mastroccio, 19. In court, Rita called her brother "a rat," because he'd turned her in. Two others were arrested for receiving stolen property. As the saying goes, "you can't make this stuff up!"

Novelty "Giant Feature" (about 4" x 3.5" when closed) matchbook with Nat Lewis's name and store logo. A larger version of his logo is on the reverse. Given his big personality, we're not surprised he chose the jumbo-sized matchbooks to advertise his store. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum.

It is unclear when Nat Lewis began selling handbags in his stores, or when he began wholesaling them to other establishments. The oldest newspaper advertisements we could find that mentioned Nat Lewis brand handbags (sold by different stores) were from 1928. They were quite pricey for the time, and some ads say they were imported. We found Nat's 1925 US passport application, so this may have coincided with his European buying trips.

1928 advertisement for Lewis handbags, four years before Nat Lewis Purses, Inc. was a business name. It's possible he was wholesaling them at this time under the auspices of his already established haberdashery. Or, per a 1930s handbag patent, he may have had the additional business name "Nat Lewis Wholesale Corp."

04 Dec 1928, Tue The Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio) Newspapers.com

Here's a timeline of the evolution of the Lewis handbag company's name, per online documents: Nat Lewis Purses, Inc. business name was filed in the State of New York in 1932. The name was amended to Lewis Purses, Inc. in 1945. Lewis Purses, Inc. merged into Imports by Lewis, Inc. in 1972. While it should be noted that Lewis Purses, Inc. was importing bags prior to 1972, this name change was just a few years after the US General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade's so-called "Kennedy Round," which made it more cost effective for bag makers to import handbags rather than manufacture them in-house. The Vintage Purse Museum's curator wrote an article about GATT and how it changed the handbag industry.

Lewis bag made of plastic beads, 1960s-1970s, imported from Italy. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum.

Label inside bag above.

There were three Lewis lines: The main one, with the name Lewis and crown logo, the Lewisette line, which, in its earliest usage (1950s) encompassed carryall "fitted kit" bags that came with combs and compacts, and the Miss Lewis line, which was more than likely meant for "juniors" (younger women). The later incarnation of Lewisette bags (1960s-1970s) were similar to the Lewis and Miss Lewis lines. 

Lewis handbag, 1950s-1960s, with ornate clasp, from the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum.

Interior of bag above, showing the Lewis trademarked logo.

The trademark application for the Lewis logo with the crown was filed in 1947 by company president David Lewis, registered in 1949, renewed in 1969, and expired in 1992. According to the 1947 application, the logo was first used in 1933. We believe the crown logo on Lewis handbags may have been inspired by Nat's heraldic store logo, continuing the royalty theme. The Lewisette logo with crown was registered in 1975, then canceled in 1981. The Miss Lewis line does not appear to have been trademarked. 

Miss Lewis bag in metallic silver, 1970s. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum. 

Lewis imprint inside bag above.

There was also a trademark filed in 1974 for "Lewis Designs" handbags, registered in 1979, dissolved in 1986. This was the trademark of William Lewis of Tucson, Arizona, who established his business, Lewis Salon Shoes, in Arizona in 1935 and remained a local fixture for many years. As far as we can tell, he was not related to the Nat Lewis family. The Vintage Purse Museum has a William Lewis bag and matching shoes in our collection.

David Lewis, president of Lewis Purses, Inc., was Nat's younger brother. There was a Dave Levy working at Nat's store, so we at first theorized that David Lewis may have been using the pseudonym Dave Levy, because "Levy" was their mother's maiden name. We found a number of articles from the 1930s and 1940s, including several by journalist Damon Runyon, that refer to Dave Levy as an employee and eventual partner of Nat's firm. It seems that Damon Runyon and Dave Levy developed a friendship. According to Runyan's 1940 column, "...little Dave Levy started 25 years ago (at the haberdashery) as an errand boy, physically handicapped from birth, but with a smile and a personality that was to make him one of the best known and most beloved characters on the strange street. Today he is a full partner in the concern." We found a brief notice in a 1953 menswear trade publication that said Dave Levy was selling his interest in Nat Lewis's business back to Nat, ending a 38-year partnership. The Levy and Lewis surnames are so common that it was difficult to find information about the two Davids in the genealogy archives. However, we were able to confirm that Nat's business partner Dave Levy (1893-1964) eventually retired to Florida with his wife Aldea (1904-1983). We do not know if Dave Levy was related to Nat Lewis's mother Ray Levy Lewis, but we know now that he and David Lewis were not the same person. 

Information about Nat's brother David Lewis (b. 1901 in Selma, Alabama) is sparse, probably because he died young, at age 48. In 1925, he married Stella Chodrow (or Chodorov, 1901-1994) in New York. It appears that they did not have children, and Stella did not remarry after his death. Our belief is that Nat expanded his apparel brand into the handbag business in the 1920s, eventually placing his brother at the helm of that division. Starting in the 1930s, David Lewis had a number of handbag-related patents, including at least one with the assignee Nat Lewis Wholesale Corp. (We did not find this version of the Lewis company in the New York State business name database, but the word "wholesale" would explain Lewis handbags being sold by other retailers in those early years.) 

One of David's inventions, for which a patent was filed and granted in 1935, became the Lewis style known as the "Muffin," which has an origami-like inward-folding closure. This invention resulted in a 1936 design infringement case between Nat Lewis Purses (plaintiff) and a company called Carole Bags (defendant). Carole Bags cited an earlier, similar design by another inventor (filed 1910, granted 1912), which was a factor in Nat Lewis losing the case on appeal. Handbag companies (and other apparel and accessories' makers) often sued one another for patent and design infringement, which was very difficult to prove, and the Nat Lewis Purses Inc. v. Carole Bags Inc. outcome was used for years as a precedent in unrelated cases. 

David Lewis's 1935 patent for what was to become Lewis Purses, Inc. "Muffin" style, which was later the subject of a patent infringement lawsuit. Screenshot via Google patents.

08 Dec 1935, Sun The Indianapolis Star (Indianapolis, Indiana) Newspapers.com

Unlabeled brocade evening bag made in the style of David Lewis's patented "Muffin." We do not know if this is by Lewis or another maker using a similar closure. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum.

Bag above, shown open, with matching coin purse.

We are fairly certain that David passed away in 1949 because there is a David Lewis in the same section of the cemetery that Nat Lewis and many of his family members are interred. He was also not mentioned in Nat's 1956 obituary, nor was Benjamin, another brother who predeceased Nat. David and his wife Stella are recorded in the 1950 US Census, but it is taken a year is advance, so a 1949 death is possible. While David Lewis's name was often found in conjunction with Lewis Purses, Inc. on paper, he had more of a behind-the-scenes persona than his gregarious older brother. His name was phased out of Lewis handbag advertisements by 1951.

1950 ad with David Lewis's name in the description.

24 Jan 1950, Tue The Owensboro Messenger (Owensboro, Kentucky) Newspapers.com

Other names affiliated with Lewis Purses Inc. were Murray Danziger, Joel Rosenberg, Irving Friedman, Jay Koppel, Ernest Barrow, and Joseph Neikirk, each working for the company in various capacities over the years. In 1946, Nat helped former employee Joseph Neikirk establish a brand called Lindelle Bags.

What was also very important to us when researching Lewis Purses, Inc. was finding out if it had its own factory. We found a brief mention in a 1934 issue of the trade publication American Shoemaking that said that Nat Lewis Purses was relocating to the "Reed factory" on "Grove St.," but we could find no other evidence of this move. 

In 1944, there was a list of participants in a Handbag Manufacturers Industry Advisory Committee meeting which showed Nat Lewis Purses (with David Lewis, president) being located at 435 Madison Ave. in New York. This address consisted of offices and a showroom, and not a factory. (Lewis Purses also had a showroom on the west coast.) It was very common for midcentury handbag makers to have a showroom in New York City and a factory elsewhere. 

According to The Bag Lady's website, there was "A classified ad in the January 3, 1944 New York Times, pg. 34, (that) sought women and girls for the Nat Lewis factory." The ad said: ""Girls, bright, light general work, air conditioned factory. Good pay, overtime Nat Lewis Purses 27 East 31st. Apply all day." (This address was 12 minutes from Nat's Broadway store.)

It's entirely possible that Nat Lewis used another company to manufacture at least some of his bags and put his label inside. (This obviously includes imported bags.) That said, we found other clues as to a potential factory, aside from the 1934 blurb and the 1944 ad. One was in the form of a 1987 obituary for a woman (name withheld for privacy) who was a "leather seamstress" for the "Nat Lewis Handbag Company in New York City" before retiring in 1963. We also found a 1977 newspaper article that said Lewis Purses, Inc. received a $950,000 federal trade adjustment loan to expand their business at 275 Seventh Ave. and hire an additional 107 workers.

There was also the following quote on page 41 of jewelry designer Kenneth Jay Lane and Harrice Simons Miller's 1996 book "Kenneth Jay Lane: Faking It," in which Kenneth Jay Lane (1932-2017) says, "Bags of mine advertised by Saks were made by Lewis Purses, a company which is no longer in existence." So the conclusion would be that Nat Lewis Purses, Inc. did have several factories over the course of its approximately 60 years in business.

But a factory and its products can only be successful with the right marketing team. In the 1949, Volume 23 edition of TIDE, The Magazine for Advertising Executives, there is an article headlined "Marketing Lewis Purses: A Case Study." Due to limitations of online use, we can't see more than a snippet of this article, which says, "The 20-year-old firm has been astonishingly successful in merchandising..." 

Elegant pannier-handle bag by Lewis, 1940s-1950s, pleated faille, with large green ornament at the front, featuring a red faux gem and rhinestones. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum.

The earliest Lewis handbags were on the higher end in terms of pricing. While the company's classic styling went on for decades—so much so that they can sometimes be difficult to accurately date—the brand eventually became more affordable for the average consumer. Designs were in line with fashion trends of every season, but the most popular bags of the company's first forty years were basic black, in different configurations and fabrics, and often embellished with small sparkling details. We can't know for sure the quantity of handbags sold with the Lewis label, but there must have been tens of thousands, based on the amount of advertising, as well as sheer number of them still available for purchase today as vintage collectibles.

Classic black Lewis bag in an interesting shape, with a touch of gold on the frame, 1950s-1960s. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum.

Nat Lewis died of a heart attack at age 74 in 1956 at his store on 1637 Broadway. He was fondly memorialized in an obituary that said he was only 16 years old when he arrived in New York, eventually becoming a "haberdasher that served the theatrical world."

Nat Lewis's eponymous store's inventory was liquidated in 1956, but his handbag company went on. After Nat's death, longtime Lewis Purses, Inc. employee Elliott S. Frankel became president of the company. (There was some evidence that he was moving into this position as early as 1955.) Jeffrey Frankel and Barry Frankel also worked there, presumably related to Elliott. A 1982 directory of US importers lists Elliott Frankel as president of Lewis Purses, Barry Frankel as vice president, and Jeffrey (spelled "Jeffery") Frankel as office manager. We did our best to find the Frankels, but there were numerous people with the same first and last names. (Please email vintagepursemuseum@gmail.com if you know the Frankels and can help us fill in some blanks.)

"Cut velvet" Lewis bag (photo lightened to show detail), 1960s. This is very similar in shape to the ad for the patent leather bag in the 1980s advertisement below. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum.

Note the similarities between this 1983 Lewis bag and our 1960s version above.
10 Feb 1983, Thu Johnson City Press (Johnson City, Tennessee) Newspapers.com

Under Elliott Frankel's leadership, Lewis Purses, Inc. collaborated in the 1970s with a company called Thought-Waves for a line of ecology-inspired bags made of natural materials. There was also a 1980s collaboration with shoe company Joan & David (still in business) for a leather handbag line.

We were unable to find an exact date of closure for Lewis Purses, Inc., but the most recent newspaper ad we could find for Lewis handbags was from 1983.

Even though he would never know the impact of his contribution, the dashing and colorful Nat Lewis made an indelible mark—not just on Broadway—but on the world of fashion. With their well-made, everlasting designs, Lewis handbags will continue to be desirable and wearable collectibles for years to come.

Special thanks to Steven Schreckinger. Resources used for this article were Newspapers.com and MyHeritage.com, to which we have paid subscriptions, and The Bag Lady, Google, and Familysearch.org. This article c2024 Wendy Dager/The Vintage Purse Museum. Please do not use photos or information from this article or other posts on our website without requesting permission, vintagepursemuseum@gmail.com.

1950s Lewis handbag with heart shaped ornament at the front of the bag. From the collection of The Vintage Purse Museum.

1963 ad showing array of classically styled Lewis bags. 
24 Mar 1963, Sun Express and News (San Antonio, Texas) Newspapers.com