A year or so ago, I was asked by a friend to go through his deceased aunt’s house to see if there were any items of value. He was afraid that he’d inadvertently toss out something that might be worth some money. It was a smart move that too many of us fail to do.
One of the items I found was a 1950s Singer sewing machine similar to one I had missed buying at an estate auction a few months earlier. It was in a case that looked like a suitcase, so I ignored it and didn’t bother to open it (something I rarely do; I usually check inside everything). By the time I realized the machine’s value, it was sold. (I sold the aunt’s machine for him on eBay for $150.)
The aunt was a licensed beautician who had owned a beauty shop, and she and her husband – based on the items I saw in the house – had led a good life. Not a wealthy life but a comfortable one.
She also seemed to be a woman who loved pretty personal items. Among them was a box holding a gold-tone Art Deco case with gazelles ensconced inside a black satin and cardboard “purse” with red lining. I wasn’t exactly sure what it was, so I opened it. Inside was a mirror, and compartments for lipstick, cigarettes (behind the mirror), face powder, rouge, and paper money or tissues.
I learned that this was a compact carryall from the 1940s made by Elgin American. The compartments could also be used for pills, bobby pins or keys.
Elgin American was one of the major manufacturers of affordable compacts in the early 20th century, along with the Evans and Volupte. Elgin started out as a watchmaker.
I’d seen plenty of Elgin American and Evans’ single compacts before but had not seen anything like this carryall, which resemble a cute little purse. I could imagine the aunt carrying it on her arm – or in her purse – when she was out on the town for dinner or theater or at one of her beautician dress-up events.
I thought about that case recently when I was browsing a table at an auction. The staff had laid out several of these women’s beauty cases in various sizes and types, including another Elgin American carryall.
This one was silver with gold designs and bore the monogram “MMM.” It still had a tube to hold lipstick and its original box. The mirror, though, was cracked.
Here are the other vintage beauty items that were on the table:
The Ziegfeld Girl compact was named after the famous women transformed into glamorous starlets by Florenz Ziegfeld, and made even more famous with the 1941 movie “Ziegfeld Girl.” The compact was first produced in the 1940s.
The auction chest on the left was the remnant of The Dream Chest by Crosby. It was missing its beauty products. The one on the right is what the 1950s chest may have originally held: a dresser set with comb, hand mirror, brush, glass jar, perfume atomizer, heart-shaped mirror and picture frame. Photo from icollect247.com.
