The Hollywood Glamour Of A Compact

I love the glamour of a fabulous vintage compact. Small works of art, shiny, sculptured, engraved, or bejewelled,

The earliest compacts were cherished possessions of the Kings and Queens of ancient Greece. The box mirrors were polished bronze and

lavishly adorned with images of Pan, Eros and Aphrodite, gods of mischief, passionate desire, and true love.

The first powder compacts were created during Louis XIV's reign by French perfumiers in the 17th century and English jewellers soon copied the idea. It wasn’t until the 1920s and the Flapper girls saw a rise in a cosmetic culture that makeup compacts were produced en masse. Dark eyeliner, bright lipstick, and tiny purses became fashionable. A woman of that time put few things in her purse, the most important being her compact.

Many collectors believe the 1930s Art Deco era to be the peak time for makeup compacts. The middle-class consumer culture of the post-war period brought the compact back into fashion. Women had stepped into men’s roles while the men were away at war. They earned their own money, they were liberated. Cinema showed glamorous Hollywood actresses with full-face makeup and they wanted that too. By the 1970s liquid foundation, cheaply manufactured powders and a natural face became fashionable and marked the end of the statement compact mirror.

Most vintage compacts were circular with different designs. However, some were unusual in shapes like sphinxes, clams and pyramids. Compacts from the 40s, 50s and 60s have a place inside for loose or pressed powder. In the 40s and 50s, the company Volupte released elegant compact designs associated with the Hollywood industry. Other manufacturers include The Cleopatra Vanity Company, Pozzini, Zinn Corporation, Coty, Stratton, Max Factor, Helena Rubenstein and Houbigant.

Many iconic beauty and fragrance manufacturers began creating compacts during the 20th century. Elgin American’s silver and gold tone compacts were popular in the early 20th century, such as the company’s unusual shaped decagon compact, called ‘The Doucette’.

The Volupte Company was considered to be one of the most adventurous American compact makers and was famous for its novelty compacts, and was the market leader in the 40s and 50s. They produced a range of elegant, functional compacts that oozed the glamour of the 40s and 50s. The company was well known for the exotic and beautiful enamel lid decoration on the compacts. Many were designed by Richard T. Gaige.

Stratton was the most successful brand of British powder compacts. The quality of their enamel was superior to other British brands of the time. The most popular are the romantic and equestrian themes.

Bring back the glamour.