Vintage WHITING and DAVIS 1896 Charles Whiting joins the company in 1880 at age 16 and swiftly moves up the ranks to management. In 1896, he and Mr. Davis form a partnership and raise the money to purchase the company, renaming it The Whiting & Davis Company. 1920s Whiting & Davis’ beautiful, high quality purses are the coveted accessory of flappers, actresses and "well dressed women everywhere." Through automation and advertising, the company expands its reach, becoming, and remaining to this day, the world’s leading mesh handbag manufacturer. By the 1970s Gold Rush! Whiting’s "soft, sensuous and slithery handbags," halter tops and dresses are the perfect glittering accessories for a decade spent writhing under disco balls to Donna Summer and ABBA.