Every collector has favourites, even if they claim they don't. This one is one of mine. This Vogue Vanitie is the one really behind my collection. Sadly this compact was on the way to be thrown out, it was formerly one of my grans, and with clearing out her house certainly family members were on the verge of just chucking it. Luckily I grabbed and rehomed it. What made me fall in love with this compact? The fact that it's just a little bit rare.
Based out of Birmingham in the UK, Vogue Vanitie[s] began manufacturing powder compacts in 1940, continuing until German bombs hit their factories in 1942. It wasn't until a year after the war ended that the company returned and did so until the mid 1950s when it became particularly popular for it's equestrian designs. But what makes my compact a little different occurs with the companies slight name change through their return post war when the addition of an "s" appears on the end of vanities. Any compact without the aforementioned "s" can be dated to 1940 - 1942. It was through the researching this compact alone that got me hooked into finding out more about compacts in general.
The compact itself is square with a lace topped design and a chevron engraved bottom. Inside a round powder well is found under a circular powder flap, the compact name etched into the top with "made in England" underneath. The once cotton wool like edging to the powder well has warn away and I remember there being remnants of powder remaining in the bottom when I cleaned it up. While it's been used it's certainly in a great condition, it survived a war and being thrown out.
Hello from Hawai'i! I recently bought my first compact and found your blog. What I'd really like to do is get it cleaned up and replace the loose powder (I think it's for loose--it has felt like the one in the post did). I don't want to accidentally mess it up by getting the felt wet but I won't replace the powder until it's clean! Do you have any advice you can give me? It's a square Elgin, in almost perfect condition except the mirror needs regluing. Mahalo!
ReplyDeleteHello and thank you for your question.
DeleteIf the actual powder well itself is square it makes it a little harder to replace in the manner of just buying another powder like I've done with some of my compacts to make them usable again. While I haven't done it myself, there's a lot of people who have used rubbing alcohol in order to create a paste which you then re pot into the compact which would be more ideal if your powder well is square in design.
I guess it all depends on how much you like your compact to risk it working out well although from what I've seen in blogs the paste method does work out.
These two following links are great on explaining both the methods I've mentioned.
Refilling a powder compact
How to refill/replace a vintage powder compact