Objects

Before handbags were filled with phones, they held small, beautifully made objects: powder compacts, lipstick cases, cigarette cases, pill boxes and pocket mirrors.

About Objects

These accessories were made with the same care as jewelry, using guilloché enamel, engine-turned metal, porcelain, early plastics and rhinestones. Compacts were especially popular from the 1920s to the 1950s, when makers produced them in endless shapes and novelty designs. Decorative boxes, such as hand-painted porcelain pieces, were made to sit on a dressing table. Today these objects are collected for their craftsmanship and design, and many can still be used. Each listing describes the material, era and size, so you know what to expect.