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gladstone travel bag

Why The Gladstone Travel Bag Was Named After One Of Britain’s Most Iconic Prime Ministers

As an English leather makers, it’s important that we preserve iconic and quintessential British design. The Gladstone travel bag, named after the late British prime minister William Ewart Gladstone, has become a traditional leather timepiece. Read about its story, here…

The Gladstone bag. A symbol of Victorian Britain. A delve into our country’s past and still desired by the most sophisticated of sartorial enthusiasts. Now recognised as a timepiece bag owned by individuals with a nuanced style, this small portmanteau was once an accessory carried by the United Kingdom’s prime ministers. In particular, they passed through the hands of William Ewart Gladstone. Taking the top seat in office an impressive four times between 1868 and 1894, Gladstone’s name first became associated with the hinged luggage bag by leather maker, J G Beard from his leather shop in Westminster. 

gladstone travel bag
William E. Gladstone
gladstone travel bag
Team with sportswear for an updated Gassano look

Joining the liberals in 1859, his new world views conjured more opportunities to travel. When packing for his adventures at 10 Downing Street, a row of Gladstone holdalls would be assembled in the hallway by his assistants. An inspirational figure during his time, many ministers of State and political members followed suit – shopping for their leather Gladstone travel bags in London’s finest shops on New Bond Street and Picadilly. In the late 1800’s, they became symbolic with class and refinery. Oscar Wilde wrote in Picture of Dorian Gray, “What a way for a fashionable painter to travel! A Gladstone bag and an ulster!”.

gladstone travel bag
The Gladstone L in Black
A Time Capsule Travel Bag

Named after an Italian village situated at the most northerly point of Tuscany, the Gassano Gladstone travel bag by Maxwell Scott is available in two sizes – Medium and Large. Handcrafted in Italy by traditional leather artisans, this traditional holdall is bound to stay by your side for years of adventures and trips away. It features the traditional hinged opening, practical for packing, and the bag’s signature buckle detail on the front. For security when you travel, the Gassano also bears a lockable metal fastening opened with a key.