 |
Compacts, Powder and Paint |
By Frances Johnson |
| Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 77 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, Pa., 19310, 1996, pp. 160, $19.95, paperback. |
|
| The application of make-up for women was made more convenient in the 1920s with the popularization of a small container known as a compact. Some 380 color photographs document the compact's story in this fun volume, which will make the reader wish the craze had never ended. Highly imaginative, yet practical, these examples not only offered a lady an interesting and often beautiful place for makeup, but a kind of tiny carryall as well, with compartments for lipstick, perfume, money, cigarettes, combs, handkerchief and keys; one example even plays Let Me Call You Sweetheart when opened. Small works of art, many compacts were beautifully engraved, bejeweled, covered in leather or petit point, painted, embroidered and enameled - bearing everything from the owner's initials to military insignias. The author has covered the gamut, with humor, and all are grouped accordingly, accompanied by introductions for each category and detailed captions for each compact, including approximate values.
|
|
