W B Cartwright were manufacturing chemists based in part of the old Larkfield Mill, which was located at Rawdon near Leeds. Mr J Rennie was one of the directors. He invented the digestion tablets that still bear his name today. This company manufactured and marketed a cosmetic line named De Fleury.
This compact is widely admired as the epitome of Art Nouveau. Made in 1925 the Djer Kiss "Kissing Fairies" powder compact is a silver plated compact duo. This case marked the end of the Rowland-Smith fairy theme vanities. The firm had made the decision to move to the more en vogue Art Deco theme. Almost as soon as this vanity was produced it was considered old fashioned, which is good news for collectors, as it had a relatively short production run. It is a highly collectible antique compact rouge. Superbly well made as you can feel by its weight - an exquisite antique compact! In fact the weight of the case, how much space it took up in the hand & the depth are factors that ensured this was not a popular case at the time, hence a short production run. Sleeker, slim line & light weight cases were the order of the day. The famous sight of the lid hardly needs any introduction - two fairies kissing surrounded by gorgeous Art Nouveau flowers.
Whilst the Art Deco style did not just appear in 1925, this is when one of the most stylish design movements ever began to be celebrated at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratif in Paris, 1925. This exhibition is probably the most famous World’s Fair. It ran from April to October 1925. Inventors, architects, artists, fashion designers & artisans came together to change the way design was perceived.
French medallic artists, certainly those of the nineteenth and early twentieth century were considered to be world class. The French artists made medallic art a genre equal to sculpture and the best work is so fine it is equal to painting. Practice made perfect and artists such as (1788-1856) would make portraits larger than medallions. They were portrait size - around 8” x 10”. The next part of the process was to use pantonic reduction to reduce the size of their sculptures to the size of medallions, thereby the great detail in the principal work was not lost in the reduction.
Victorian jewellery is immensely popular today. The superb craftsmanship, artistry, beauty and charm ensure that this genre is highly collectible. Queen Victoria (1837 - 1901) reigned for sixty four years and during this era fashions of jewellery changed considerably, usually as a response to trends that Queen Victoria started. It is helpful to divide the Victorian era into three parts - Early Victorian or “Romantic”, Middle Victorian or “Grand”, Late Victorian or Aesthetic periods.
The firm was established by William Neale in 1850 in Birmingham. His mark was entered at the Birmingham assay office in April 1862 and in the Chester assay office in September 1882. Later the firm was known as William Neale & Sons as a partnership of William Neale senior, William Neale junior & Arthur Neale. The partnership required new larger premises and so a purpose built premises was erected at 29 Warstone Lane, Birmingham (1896). In 1905 the firm became a limited company - William Neale & Sons Ltd. In 1910 they relocated to 34 Cox Street, St. Paul’s Square, Birmingham. In 1942 the firm was absorbed by Suckling Ltd.
The Stratton “Piccadilly” is one of our all time favourite powder compacts. It is as beautiful as it is so elusive. We have only seen this model finished with turquoise, red and maroon enamel. There were only two known years of production 1959 & 1960 & this is the only Stratton compact with the lucky four leaf clover shape. It has the most beautiful enamel with gilt accents - the elegant quatrefoil design so splendid to see. The lid decoration shows work of the highest calibre. Tiny flowers surrounded by cream enamel set off by gilded borders, the red borders are the perfect colour / color contrast. This model is noted in the 1959 catalogue as “clover leaf shape”.
In 1860 Stephen Jarrett and Charles Rainsford joined in partnership. Jarrett was a pin manufacturer and jeweller. Rainsford was a commercial traveller. The partners took on premises at 7 Broad Street, Islington, Birmingham. The success of the venture enabled Jarrett & Rainsford to move new premises at 48 Broad Street in 1870. In 1898 the firm took on an office boy who exhibited much promise. This young man was named George A. Laughton. The partners were so impressed with him that by 1904 he was rewarded with the position of assistant manager.
