Recently Connie and I were having a email discussion that included how the original cast may have carried gloves and fans when they were not in use. It seems like a very simple question…. but I just can’t let it go. I’ve been pulling passages from fiction to see what these characters did. (results to follow)
My question for those who would like to post a comment or send me an email…..
Where do you put/carry your …. gloves, fan, purse, etc.
I am curious what other reenactors do. I can say for years I hung my fan from my waist/belt. Now it goes in my pocket. Most everything goes in my pocket. Prior to my implementation of pockets, I had a couple purses. I like purses as long as I don’t make them to full.
UPDATE APRIL 13: Thanks for the responses so far. There seems to be a variety of places people keep things. More comments/emails about where you keep gloves and fans specifically would be great.
In collecting references from period fiction regarding where women place their gloves and fans, I see the vast majority of the passages refer to putting the items in or taking them from pockets. This seems to span all age groups including children. I have also found mention of putting gloves in a bag. I hope to find additional passages suggesting other possiblities.
If I Had My Own Blue Box: 
I put most of the “small things” in a traveling bag …contacts stuff and modern stuff I don’t want to pull out by accident in a poke sack in the traveling bag. The medical alert tag, money, car key go in a small poke sack in my pocket… period ID & pocket trash go in my pocket.
I have a small market basket with a length of flour sacking for when the personna is such that the fancy traveling bag would be inapropriate.
I tend to carry all of my stuff for reenacting in my carpet bag (keep in mind, I do mostly short, single day events). In my carpet bag, I throw in everything- sewing basket, shawl, modern purse, small projects to work on, snacks, toys, books, etc- I tend to be a pack rat. 😉 But when I don’t want to lug my carpet bag around, and I’m running about the fort where I may want my fan, hankie, gloves, etc, I stick them in my waistband if my dress, if it has one, or I stick them in my sleeve/undersleeve. If the bodice of my dress is front opening, I sometimes stick my hankie there.
a friend of mine does 1880s ish, and she has a glove clip that goes on her chatelaine. i put my gloves in my pocket, or if it’s cold and i’m out shopping and need my hands, i put my mittens in my muff for a few minutes.