Posted this in the finds thread but thought I would come here to see what you all have to say. Seems to be a little cosmetic pot (rouge?) with a mirror inside. For a chain or chatelaine it seems. About 1 1/2" diameter by 3/4" tall. Makers mark seems to be struck over. Any idea on maker and/or age?
Does it close securely enough to have held loose powder safely? With a little puff on top, of course. A little gem.
It does close tightly, though it is a bit beat up and doesn't close easily. I haven't had a chance to work on it yet.
That over-stamped mark is aggravating! It's a powder box, would have had a small puff and a small cake of powder or a screen for loose powder, circa 1910s-'20s. Here are a couple of 1917 ads for similar (the 'Vanuette' also came with an absorbant pad for perfume): ~Cheryl
I don't know about the Americas, but here in Europe that was only in Victorian England, because queen Victoria thought it vulgar. Ladies on the European Continent didn't mind being 'vulgar'. Even gents wore makeup sometimes, my great-grandfather did. He was occasionally asked to travel to Eindhoven to do the makeup for some of the executives of Philips, ca 1900. I don't know if that was for photo shoots or for important meetings.
It is! Hate to say that it doesn't read any better in person. I will try polishing it a bit more and see if I can get a better picture. Thanks for the great info.
My Cuban grandmother (born in 1912) forbade my mother from any makeup except a little lipstick ,and that was only after she turned 16 ! Never red lipstick either ! All I'll say is this,Ive seen many European photos where the ladies would have benefited greatly from a little makeup !
My mother didn't want me to wear makeup either, or pluck my eyebrows. At 14 I started to pluck my eyebrows a few hairs at a time, and when she noticed it after a few weeks she said it looked good. Red lipstick was also a no-no at work here when I was in my early 20s, same with red nailpolish. It was a so-called 'representative' job. During holidays I immediately changed my demure nailpolish and lipstick to bright red.
