A Brief History Of The Tokalon Brand With Patent Drawings
The Tokalon case shown above is ornamented with guilloche engraved designs which were so fashionable during the Art Deco era. This decorative technique appears to give the design the impression of movement when the light source, be it sunrays or an electric bulb, hits the surface.
We are not sure which company made this compact case for the Tokalon brand but we do know that the Simon Zinn Company manufactured cases for the Anglo-French Tokalon brand. This company made vanities to hold Tokalon brand rouge or face powder. During the 1920s and 1930s there was a heavy reliance on American case manufacturers which supplied the British market with finished and part finished vanity boxes.
The base of the puff is fashioned from lambs wool. The plate contains the palest powder (Rachel).
In the 1920s and 1930s very pale face powder was much in demand, although there was also a wide variety of shades to suit all the beautiful skin tones. The palest colour was often referred to as Rachel.
Tokalon Ltd. offered these shades of powder:
Rachel, Clair*, Rachette, Apricot, Rose Peach, Ochre Rosee, Rose Brunette, Natural, Peach, Brunette, Suntan, Rose Natural & Evening Green
*The shade known as Clair may have part of the name obscured by the sealing band, as Rachette does.
The design of this box was patented by Tokalon Ltd. The inventor is named Sidney Scott Lundie.
On the box base we see - BRIT. LETTERS PATENT NO. 511827 this refers to the Tokalon Ltd. formulation detailed below.
It would be natural to assume after reading the patented specification shown above that Tokalon Ltd. were manufacturing chemists.
The complete patent specification for an electrical hairbrush which dates to 1915 confirms this assumption to be true.
Patent no. 4908 (191404908) also lists their premises as being located at 212 Great Portland Street, London.
The General Manager at this time was Milan Francis Pratt.
One of the firm’s products was known as Bisurated Magnesia (see May 9 1914 The Chemist And Druggist advertisement).
The firm’s address is listed as being 212/214 Great Portland Street, London, W. at the bottom of this trade listing.
Tokalon Ltd. and Mentmore Manufacturing Co. Ltd. patented the following:
** Styptic pencils are medicated sticks that stops bleeding from minor cuts, usually from shaving. They are made from an astringent compound which constricts blood vessels and helps clot the blood. Styptic pencils also have antiseptic properties that help prevent infection.
Mentmore Manufacturing Co. Ltd. are credited as being the inventors of the cartridge pen, the retractable ballpoint pen, and the felt tip.
We have found 34 patented designs registered to Tokalon. These include French patents which relate to improvements to face powder, soap, crayon à poudre, formulations based on vitamins intended to be incorporated into products, an etui, a compact with two compartments, presumably for rouge and face powder and a shelf system.
The French & British fascination for all things Egyptian was sometimes reflected in Tokalon advertising literature.
Tokalon , Ltd ., Poudre and Creme Tokalon , Kijja ( liquid white )
We are delighted to share this invoice with you.
It is so interesting to see the products listed.
The business premises of Tokalon S.A. are listed as 183 rue de la Pompe, PARIS 16 R.C. Seine.
The invoice dates to 1941.
The Tokalon brand vanities are so well made that even after more than nine decades it is possible to find them replete with wonderfully vibrant gilding, the original face powder and even the original powder puff.
This compact contains the original powder plate.
We are sure that you are aware that old makeup is not safe to use.
The image above shows the remarkably durable gilding that was applied over 90 years ago.
The interior of the compact will not require cleaning, except to wipe away powder residue.
Addresses:
Tokalon Limited, 212/214 Great Portland Street, London W.
Tokalon Limited, Chase Road, London N.W. 10.
Tokalon Limited, 366 Oxford Street, London, W.I
Tokalon S.A. 183 rue de la Pompe, PARIS 16 R.C. Seine (1941)
More wonderful antique and vintage powder compacts.
Please note that although we spend many hours each week updating or compiling new work for our historical blog section which is free to view, we do not offer an appraisal, identification, valuation or dating service to members of the public.
However, each purchase from our store is shipped with a lavishly illustrated history which dates the item and details the history of the item and that of the maker.
Sources:
Patent Office
Druggist And Chemist
Michael Hetherington’s Compact Blogspot
Graces Guide
