THE PURSE PISTOL

DURING the 19th century, gunmakers experimented with many different gun designs. Some of these were designed to be carried as disguised weapons, not an unknown practice in the Victorian era, when self-defence was taken seriously. This example stands out as one of the most unusual and thoroughly disguised weapons.

This purse or pocketbook revolver was patented by a German, Oscar Frankenau of Nuremberg. The patent registered in the USA in November 1877 describes it as a “Combination Pocket-book and Revolver”. The British patent was registered slightly earlier, in September 1877, and describes it as a “Revolver Purse”. The actual patentee working on behalf of Frankenau was F Wirth, a specialist patent solicitor based in Frankfurt am Main. The patent ceased to provide protection in September 1880. Although patented in Britain and the US, it seems likely that this device was made in Germany but marketed to the English-speaking world. In his patent application, Frankenau suggests that the advantage of having one of these devices was that travellers can have a convenient mode of carrying a revolver for protection, especially when attacked, as the revolver can be fired at the robber when handing over the pocketbook.

This 5mm pinfire revolver, with one of the shortest barrels I have ever seen, being only 0.62in (16mm) long, is built into one side of the leathercovered pocketbook, the other side having a concertina four-section purse for holding coins. Pressing a button on the side of the purse causes a gun port to open in the end and a trigger to pop down. It can be fired six times without opening the purse. Frankenau was also careful to place vent holes in the side of the pocketbook to allow the gases to escape. This example carries London proof marks and would have been offered for sale in Britain. Known serial numbers indicate that total production must have been about 1,000 examples.

This concealed revolver is from a period at the end of the 19th century that is often referred to as the Belle Epoque, during which violence to the person, especially in Europe, was not unusual. Therefore, many different designs of self-defence weapons were offered for personal protection. The pocketbook revolver or purse pistol is certainly one of the more unusual ones.

The Frankenau purse pistol revolver can be viewed in the Self-defence gallery at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, the national museum of arms and armour. Open Wednesday to

Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Pre-booking essential. Tel 0113 220 1916; royalarmouries.org