Chicago, Buckingham Fountain Compact

 
I will admit the Chicago reference is why I fell for this compact [that and it was going for a bargain on eBay]. As with most souvenir compacts its unmarked, that's merely the norm but it is old. The metal sift is what marks this compact out - as compacts became more and more mass produced it was cheaper to produce the plastic and mesh sifts. Yet here we have one of the early ways for a lady to get her powder - gently turn the metal disc clockwise and the metal will grate against the powder so a small enough amount will come through the holes. This powder would then be patted up onto the puff and applied like normal.

This compact is made from white enamel with a top disk opening upon the top potion to get to the powder. Within a plastic covering is a small and yet somewhat detailed colouring of the Buckingham Fountain located in Chicago's Grant Park just a short walk away from The Bean. It has a bit of a space age look which perhaps suggests a 1930s age to it and while it has some markings upon the sides it is unused and comes with a puff. Its definitely a stand alone compact and one of my favourites.