Ladies Powder Compact Manufacturer's Guide E to G

Powder Compact Manufacturer's Guide E to G

E.A.M.Co - see Elgin

E.B.M. - manufacturer of quality vanities

Ed. Pinaud - see Pinaud

Eisenberg - Founded in 1914 by Jonas Esenberg that originally manufactured clothing and jeweled accessories accented by Austrian rhinestones from the Swarovski Co. Eisenberg jewelry was first produced about 1930 and continues to this day. In the 1940s the company joined forces with Henriette and Dorset Fifth Avenue to provide jeweled decoration for powder compacts.

Elgin American Manufacturing Co - E.A.M.Co trademark of the Illinois Watch Co of Elgin Illinois. Not to be confused with the Illinois Watch Case Company. Established in 1880s. Their silver metal used for compacts called Elginite has proven to be as indestructible as it was advertised. Manufacturing compacts as early as the 1920s and manufactured cases for many of the famous cosmetic houses. In 1950, they commissioned Salvadore Dali to create a compact. The result was the famous Bird-in-Hand which featured a powder compartment, pill box, and lipstick. It came in 3 finishes, satin bronze, silver, and sterling silver all with 14k overlay on the wings. In 1963 after a very long labour dispute, the decision was made to close the Elgin American plant and move production to Japan.

 

Elgin American Military Compact with puff

Elizabeth Arden - Florence Nightingale Graham, a Canadian born cosmetics executive. She began experimenting in cosmetic manufacture in her own kitchen and by 1908 she arrived in NY and soon opened her first salon on Fifth Avenue. When in Paris in 1912 she noted that women there liked to use colour in rouges and eye make-up. She introduced this idea in her salons in NY and American women loved it. She died in 1966 and her company still thrives today. Probably began mass producing affordable compacts in the 1940s.

 

Elizabeth Arden Pocket Watch Swiss Twist Compact with Metal Sifter

Elmo - An American trademark. Margaret and Mary McCann, called the Elmo sisters, opened a salon c1907 and began using the Elmo trademark in 1909 and developed the logo in 1929. Sold to Apex in 1956.

 

Elmo Rouge Compact with Logo and mark on exterior

Elsa-Peretti - contemporary compacts

Enessa - England. Manufacturing compacts during the 1940s to 50s

Estee Lauder - Estee and Joe Lauder began this cosmetics firm in Quens, NY in 1944. Sold designs through exclusive high end department stores like I Magnin, Neiman-Marcus and Sax Fifth Avenue. Exceptional qality of her compacts has made them highly collectible. Has been manufacturing compacts for over 50 years from classic gold tone styles to a wide variety of figurals, often encrusted with Austrian crystals. Her first powder compact was the Golden Alligator in 1967. The first solid perfume compact was the Youth Dew golden rope with a faux turquoise stone in the centre in 1968. Creates approximately 25 new designs per year.

 

Estee Lauder Limited Edition Roulette Wheel Compact

Evans Components Co - British maker who chose the French sounding name Le Rage for its compact range, creating a continental feel during the 1950s. Only made compacts for a few years during the 50s but their work is of a high standard, comparable to Stratton and Vogue Vanities.

Evans Case Company - American, Attleboro MA. One of the most prolific producers of high quality compacts and carryalls, as well as cigarette cases and lighters, holloware, costume jewelry, handbags and other products. The company began about 1918 as the Evans Novelty Company. Early compact cases were made for other companies such as their first contract with United Drug Co (Jonteel Brand) and were unmarked. Some were marked as Sheffield Plate. Later replaced with Imperial Plate. The L.G. Balfour Co in Attleboro had carved out a niche business supplying novelties and jewelry items to fraternities and educational institutions, and by 1920 there was a demand for Evan made cases fitted with school or fraternity badges. Evans was famous for its mesh bottomed compacts and guilloche enamel. Mayfair was also a trademark of the Evans Co. At some point they became a division of Hilsingor Corp of Plainville Mass and disappeared after 1965.

 

Evans Guilloche Enamel Compact signed on inner lid

F&B Co - Theodore W Foster and Brothers Co, Providence RI, maker of fine sterling and guilloche tango compacts in the 1920s. In the 19th century the firm was known as Foster and Bailey. Compacts signed F&BCo.

 

Not a compact, but tuxedo button bar shows the F&B mark

Faberge - Jewelry firm founded in 1842 by Gustave Faberge. In the 1950s, the rights to the name Faberge was transferred to the cosmetic firm Faberge Inc, manufacturer of perfumes and stylish compacts.

Fancy Metal Goods - Birmingham England. Office in London. Manufacturers of brush sets with petit point, and imitation enamel, Flap Jack compacts and make up mirrors. 1940s

Fiancee - Part of the CB Woodworth line prior to 1930, but after 1930, International Perfume Inc of NY decided to market all products under the Bourjois label. See Bourjois / CB Woodworth.

 

Fiancee line of CB Woodworth rouge compact, Woodworth mark below mirror

Fillkwik - see Shields

Finberg Mfg Co  - Attleboro MA. Makers of good quality guilloche enamel compacts in the 1930s. Signed FMCo.

Fisher - J.M. Fisher Company, Attleboro MA, one of the oldest established jewelry firms in Attleboro. Formed in 1879 by John Melatiah Fisher and Charles R Harris. Firm is still in the jewelry business today, but in the 1920s and 30s it was noted for it's stylish and colourful compacts with unusual shapes and designs. Compacts are rarely trademarked but can be identified by their shapes, their one-link chains, and the fragility of their brightly coloured champleve enamels. Few survive in pristine condition.

Fitch - A trademark found on only one known vanity, a fine oval silver metal case with a champleve / neillo design featuring a woman's profile between 2 peacocks. This could be the F.W. Fitch Co makers of shampoos and dandruff treatments in the early to mid twentieth century.

Flamand Fladium - A Parisian firm that manufactured a series of compacts on cuff bracelets, each named for a famous woman of the day like Josephine Baker and Claudine Cereola

Flamingo - England. Established by the Fulmen Engineering Ltd in the early 1950s. Manufactured for only a few short years.

Flato - Paul Flato, jewelry designer to the stars in the 1920s and 1930s from his Hollywood shop on Sunset Blvd in LA and in his shop in NYC. He also designed high quality compacts usually in sturdy cases with matching lipsticks.  Whimsical in design and now very collectible.

Gallery Originals - A trademark of Avon Cosmetics. See Avon

G.A.S. - Georg A Scheid an Austrian silversmith and jeweller active in Vienna from 1862 famous for high quality enameling.

Georg Jensen - A division in NY. A very famous Scandinavian silversmith.

Girey - An American compact company known especially for it's Kamra-Pak compacts, made to resemble small cameras. These often included powder, rouge, and lipstick tubes. Manufacturing between the 1930s and the 1950s.

 

Girey Kamra-Pak Compact Rouge and Lipstick signed below rouge pan

Gloria Vanderbilt - Not the Gloria of jeans fame. This was Mrs Reginald Vanderbilt nee Gloria Morgan. Opened a NY salon fro July 1946 until October 1947. Mainly a perfumerie.

Gucci - Well known name in fashion. Producing contemporary compacts.

Gwenda - England. Noted for foil back scenes resembling butterfly wing. Gwenda was the trademark of Hussey-Dawson of Birmingham England. Began manufacturing compacts c1930. At the time, they were lower end compacts. Now they are very collectible and considered rather high end.

 

I will issue subsequent blogs continuing the alphabet!

 

Be sure to visit mandicrafts.ca to view compacts and collectibles!

 

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Mandy

Mandicrafts