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History of Luxor Cosmetics - The Brand that was Born in Blood
UPDATED 27 APRIL 2015“The fertilizer works of Durham’s lay away from the rest of the plant. Few visitors ever saw them, and the few who did would come out looking like Dante, of whom the peasants...
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The History of MAVCO Compacts - Flapjacks and Concentration Camps
UPDATED 3 OCTOBER 2018For collectors of those large Lucite or Plexiglass compacts that pepper on-line auction sites, the name Mavco will be very familiar. But behind this brand there is a compact story...
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Italian Enamelled Compacts - Identifying the Faux Ivory Cases
UPDATED 10 APRIL 2015 Previously, I have written about a class of Italian compact that has a hand painted central motif, that some mistakenly assume is actually an enameled decoration.This beautiful...
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Compact Vignette - Sanitol, The Playboy and The Angel
She was no angel – but neither was he.This eight-foot marble statue, encased in her own niche and protected from the elements by a glass screen, stands watch over a simple grave marker in St Louis’...
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The Vivaudou Story - Part 2- From Cockerel to Feather Duster
UPDATED 31 JANUARY 2016Part 1 of The Vivaudou story ended in late 1919 when Victor Vivaudou, with borrowed funds, was able to purchase from The United DrugCompany the perfume and cosmetics business...
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Compact Vignette - Glebeas - Perfumes and Preserved Flowers
The first thing that should be said is “What On Earth Does Glebeas Mean!” The second question is “Why On Earth would someone choose such a name for a perfume and cosmetics business?”The first Glebeas...
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Compact Vignette - Felix Boissard and his Aluminium Cases
Very little is known about Félix Boissard – a name that appears in association with a few face powder and rouge containers and at least one remarkable perfume presentation, care of Julien Viard.This...
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Compact Vignette - The History of Jarvaise
Jarvaise. At first glance you might be forgiven for thinking that this was French. In fact, Jarvaise has been used by people as both a first name and a surname and it probably has French roots. When...
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Compact Vignette - Prichard & Constance's Amami brand
UPDATED 16 APR 2021Not much is known about the English company, Prichard & Constance Ltd, based in Haymarket, London and who used the brand name ‘Amami’. But there are just enough traces to...
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Maurice Levy - The Man Who Never Invented Metal Lipstick Containers
UPDATED 8 NOVEMBER 2016I am probably going to get into more trouble. Not that I am looking for that, but it tends to follow me whenever I attempt to challenge some of the established norms of our...
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Italian Compacts - Gilded Ladies - Bold As Brass and Just as Cheap
UPDATED 20 OCTOBER 2016I have written, previously, about identifying the brass varieties of Italian enameled compacts as well as the mistaken enamels – the hand painted Italian cases. This post...
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Rexall and United Drug - Part 2 - Jonteel, Juneve and Cara Nome
UPDATED 11 OCTOBER 2016Part 1 of the United Drug Story concluded with the creation, By United’s perfumer, George Hall, of a new perfume and toilet goods line that was given the name Jonteel.Extract...
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The Vivaudou Story - Part 3- The True Vivaudou?
Part 2 of The Vivaudou Story ended in October 1924 when Victor Vivaudou had been forced to sell his shares in his company and to resign as President of V Vivaudou Inc. Worse, still, for a man who had...
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History of The Franco American Hygienic Company - Aliases and Madness
UPDATED 2 NOVEMBER 2017This is a strange story. And while I do not expect that you have heard of The Franco American Hygienic Company before, after reading this post you may well not forget it.Cover...
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The Story of Golden Peacock- an American Brand born in Paris
Golden Peacock Inc was one of the few examples of a company whose name was borrowed from a product brand it made. Starting life in a very modest way as the Paris Toilet Company it developed into a very...
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Italian Enamelled Compacts - The Influence of the Porcelain Plate Makers
A few years ago, I posted an article titled ‘The Inventiveness of the Florentine Artisan”. This short post attempted to provide one explanation of the reason why some images used to decorate Italian...
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The Ed. Pinaud Story - Perfumer or Barbershop Supplier?
“All the world unrolls. All the unforgotten years. Stiff with gold, Cambodian dancing girls defile before their Queen. An Empress like an ivory statuette trails a peacock fan over the carved marble of...
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The Elgin American Story - Part 1 - The Illinois Watchcase Company and the...
There would be few, if any, compact collectors who would not recognize the Elgin name and, in particular, the Elgin American brand....but for non compact collecting readers, the Parthenon Marbles in...
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The Zinn Corporation – An Anonymous Spark in Compact History
It is as true today as it was in 1920. People remember brands but not necessarily who actually made the objects associated with the brands. This is particularly true for vanity cases and compacts,...
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Compact Vignette - The French Cosmetic Manufacturing Company - A Creation of...
A few years ago, when I penned an article that refuted the claim, by many, that Maurice Levy made the first metal lipstick in America, I promised to expand on my passing references to two other...
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