For every corporate person, the briefcase has been part of their daily lives. This narrow rectangular bag is where they put their important documents and files. However, nowadays it also used to carry around their laptops or small business gadgets.
The term briefcase has two origins: bulga in Latin and bolg in Irish. Both simply refer to a leather bag. The earliest briefcase looks like a limp satchel, wherein people in the fourteenth century used to carry their money and other valuables. Two centuries after, a Frenchman by the name of Godillot installed a hinged iron frame to make the bag more flexible and durable.
Since then, the briefcase has undergone major improvements such as the Gladstone bag, Rosebery Oval-top bag, the Jeremy Stennings rectangular type in the 1850s and the modern metal framed briefcase. The modern briefcase now has a built number-lock combination for added security.
Aside from the physical changes in the design, the briefcase also undergoes modification in terms of its functions. There are 2 major types of briefcases according to function.
- First is the portfolio. It is light (in terms of weight) usually without handles and carried by hand or under the arm.
- Second is the attach case. It is the most popular type used by businessmen. This rectangular case usually made of leather and sometimes aluminum over a hinged frame.
