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Photos: What the contents of Americans’ bags reveal about them

By Loubna Mrie
Published

Ever look into your bag and think how much it reflected your personality?

In his recent series ‘Persona,’ Atlanta-based photographer Jason Travis peeks into the purses, backpacks and personal belongings of strangers, to pair their portraits with revealing compositions of their most-used stuff.

The project began in 2006 as a fun study of Travis’s close friends, before the 34-year-old decided to expand his scope.

“It wasn’t until later that I approached strangers,” Travis tells Quartz. “These days it’s basically anyone that catches my eye. It’s always a way to get to know someone a little better. I want to show a wide variety of society, which means no one is off-limits.”

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