I go through different phases when it comes to shopping antiques.  There are periods when I am digging through every linen rack and pile in sight and other times when I’m scouring shelves for silver.  In one of those phases, just about any antique baby item caught my eye.  That phase was in my pre-baby years and that probably had something to do with it…  I was drawn to little leather booties, delicate bonnets, highchairs, and white dresses.  I even bought an antique iron crib and used it as a day bed for many years.  I’ve since sold almost all of the baby gear I bought in that phase, but I kept a few special pieces.  Today, I was cleaning up the guest room and saw two Christening gowns I had kept, but put away in the closet.  It was time to find a place for them again. I walked around the house, holding the two antique hangers from my fingers.  I finally found the perfect place. 

When I was shopping at the flea market in Raleigh, NC last Thanksgiving, I purchased this very old alligator doctor’s bag for $20.   It was an unusual purchase for me.  It’s not very practical, it doesn’t serve a purpose.  It’s not something I’ll use in a bunch of photo shoots.  But I knew it was something I wanted for me.  Something I would keep and enjoy (at least for a little while.)     I love the clasp, the handle, the crinkled leather (Is alligator skin leather?), and the fact it once served a special purpose.  This piece has amazing patina.  I tried to imagine the doctor who carried this bag.  Was it used for many years?  Given as a gift for graduating medical school?  Or perhaps given by a grateful town to a doctor who served them faithfully over a career?     Who knows what the history