A small chest for the dressing table, covered all over with toys: This handcrafted makeup chest features pages from an old American mail-order catalog on every surface — tin cars, steam locomotives, Meccano sets, alphabet blocks, a monkey climbing a string. Prices in cents, order numbers, fine print: an entire toy department from the era of the Ford Model T, glued onto six sides of cardboard.
The lid is domed like a travel trunk and connected to the body with a paper hinge — there are no metal hinges. Inside, a mirror is set into the lid, a satin ribbon holds it open, and a removable insert divides the interior into four compartments — for powder, brushes, and small bottles. When opened, a delicate scent of powder still lingers in the box.
Details
-
Material: Cardboard, covered all around with printed paper
-
Dimensions: 20 cm long × 12 cm wide × 12 cm high with lid
-
Lid: domed, paper hinge instead of metal hinge
-
Interior: Mirror in the lid, satin ribbon as lid holder, removable insert with four compartments
-
Motif: Reprinted toy catalog pages from the early 20th century
-
Manufacture: Handcrafted, unique piece
-
Age: Precise dating is not possible; paper and workmanship suggest the last decades of the 20th century
-
Condition: No damage visible; individual small creases in the paper covering were not smoothed out during manufacturing
Usage
On the dressing table for powder, lipsticks, and brushes. On the dresser for rings, necklaces, and earrings. In the children's room as a treasure chest, on the desk for stamps and odds and ends.
Origin and Shipping
Found at the flea market in St. Pölten, Lower Austria. Shipped from Austria, carefully packaged. The price is for 1 piece.
St. Pölten, flea market, between toolboxes and button boxes. Someone glued an entire childhood onto a cardboard box and then put a mirror in the lid. No one smoothed out the creases in the paper — whoever made it cared more about the image than perfection.
Childhood on the outside, a face on the inside — Things with Soul · VintageAustriaShop
