Victorian era thermoplastic vanity sets are highly collectible items that offer a fascinating glimpse into the early history of plastics and molding compounds. Here's a brief guide to assist you in collecting these unique and historical pieces:
- Understanding Thermoplastics: Thermoplastics were some of the earliest synthetic materials used in consumer goods production during the Victorian era. They were derived from natural substances like cellulose and camphor, then molded under heat and pressure to create intricate designs.
- Identification: Victorian thermoplastic vanity sets typically include a variety of items such as hairbrushes, hand mirrors, combs, powder jars, and other grooming accessories. They are known for their elaborate designs, often featuring intricate patterns and motifs inspired by nature, such as flowers, leaves, and vines.
- Materials: Thermoplastic vanity sets were commonly made from materials such as gutta-percha, celluloid, vulcanite, and casein. These materials were durable and moldable, allowing artisans to create intricate designs with fine details.
- Collecting Considerations: When collecting Victorian thermoplastic vanity sets, consider factors such as condition, rarity, and authenticity. Look for sets that are in good condition with minimal damage or wear, as well as sets that feature unique or unusual designs. Authenticity is important, so be wary of reproductions or modern replicas.
- Research and Documentation: Take the time to research different manufacturers, styles, and markings associated with Victorian thermoplastic vanity sets. Keep records of your collection, including photographs, descriptions, and any relevant documentation or provenance.
- Care and Preservation: Proper care and preservation are essential for maintaining the integrity and value of your collection. Avoid exposure to direct sunlight, extreme temperatures, and moisture, as these can cause damage to the thermoplastic material. Clean your vanity sets gently with a soft, damp cloth to remove dust and debris.
- Market Value: The value of Victorian thermoplastic vanity sets can vary depending on factors such as rarity, condition, and demand among collectors. Keep an eye on auction houses, antique shops, and online marketplaces to gauge market trends and prices.
By following these guidelines, you can build a unique and valuable collection of Victorian era thermoplastic vanity sets while gaining insight into the fascinating history of early plastics and molding compounds.
History:
During the 1870s, the Florence Manufacturing Company and its competitor, the Boston Diatite Company, were leading manufacturers of composition hand mirrors. These mirrors featured a novel design that included a wooden back and a strengthened handle, setting them apart from earlier models.
The construction of these hand mirrors involved several key steps:
- Base Piece: The mirror's base consisted of a wooden back shaped to match the mirror glass, providing support. This wooden piece also included an extension for the handle.
- Handle Strengthening: To reinforce the handle, a strip of metal, rods, or small nails was attached to the wooden base. This reinforcement helped stiffen the handle at its junction with the back and provided stability, reducing the risk of breakage.
- Composition Application: The base piece, along with the handle extension, was placed face down on a mold. A plasticized composition, typically made of shellac compound, was applied to cover the back and extend beyond the edges of the wooden base, surrounding the handle stiffener.
- Molding Process: An upper mold with ornamental designs on its interior was pressed down onto the plastic composition. This process gave the composition a smoothly finished ornamental back and handle, creating the distinctive appearance of the hand mirrors.
The Florence Manufacturing Company used the trade name "Florence," while the Boston Diatite Company used the trade name "Diatite" for their respective products, starting in 1868.
These shellac compound-based items were not limited to hand mirrors; they also included a variety of grooming and sewing accessories such as hairbrushes, patch boxes, nail buffers, scissors, nail files, toothbrushes, ribbon needles, crochet hooks, awls, buttons, button hooks, and thimbles. The shellac compounds were available in black or white, often imitating ivory, and could also be tinted with various colors such as tortoiseshell, offering consumers a range of options to suit their preferences and tastes.
Vulcanized rubber, commonly known as vulcanite or ebonite, played a significant role in the production of various household and ornamental objects, including hand mirrors and brushes. Charles Goodyear's discovery of the vulcanization process in 1839 revolutionized the rubber industry by introducing a method to harden rubber by mixing it with sulfur.
Vulcanite is formed by mixing rubber with sulfur and subjecting it to heat and pressure. The proportion of sulfur can be adjusted to achieve the desired level of hardening. Ebonite, a variation of vulcanite, contains linseed oil in addition to rubber, resulting in a material with a deeper black color and enhanced durability.
Over time, vulcanite can decompose, especially when exposed to heat and light. One of the first signs of deterioration is the appearance of a sulfur bloom on the surface, giving the material a dusty, khaki color. Additionally, when vulcanite is exposed to warm water or subjected to gentle friction, it may emit a faint odor of sulfur, helping to identify it.
Despite its susceptibility to deterioration, vulcanite and ebonite were widely used in the production of various items, including jewelry, combs, buttons, and decorative objects, due to their durability and versatility. Today, collectors value these vintage pieces for their historical significance and unique aesthetic appeal, although proper care and storage are essential to prevent further deterioration over time.
If your item is any of the following, you can try to determine what it is made of:
Dark colors:
- Bois durci (a small bird’s wing was used to indicate the use of the material bois durci.)
- Shellac Composition
- Gutta percha
- Vulcanized rubber
Rigid:
- Bois durci
- Shellac Composition
- Gutta percha
- Vulcanite
- Vulcanite smells sulphurous when decomposing.
- Shellac Composition fades, crumbles and cracks, exposure of the metal core is evident if the composition has crumbled away..
- Gutta Percha deteriorates with fading (khaki color), crazing, cracking and crumbling.
- Cellulose nitrate smells like camphor (mothballs) when decomposing.
- Cellulose acetate smells like vinegar when decomposing.
Gutta Percha:
Celluloid:
Bakelite:
1840 – 1880 Period, Materials and Manufacturing processes:
- Bois durci - Compression moulding
- Gutta percha (first used around 1822)- Compression moulding, extrusion
- Vulcanite - Compression moulding
- Celluloid (cellulose nitrate, patented in 1868) - Compression moulding , fabrication
- Xylonite (cellulose nitrate) - Compression moulding , fabrication
- Parkesine (cellulose nitrate, patented in 1859) - Compression moulding, fabrication
- Shellac - Compression moulding
1880 -1915 Period, Materials and Manufacturing processes:
- Cellulose nitrate - Blow moulding, fabrication, thermoforming
- Shellac - Compression moulding
- Vulcanised rubber - Compression moulding, fabrication, turning
1915 -1925 Period, Materials and Manufacturing processes:
- Casein formaldehyde - Fabrication, extrusion
- Cellulose nitrate - Blow moulding, fabrication, thermoforming
- Phenol formaldehyde - Compression moulding, casting
- Shellac - Compression moulding
- Vulcanite - Compression moulding, fabrication, turning
1925 -1940 Period, Materials and Manufacturing processes
- Casein - Extrusion, fabrication, thermoforming
- Cellulose acetate - Compression moulding, fabrication, injection moulding
- Cellulose nitrate - Blow moulding, fabrication, thermoforming
- Phenol formaldehyde - Compression moulding, casting
- Urea formaldehyde - Compression moulding
- Shellac - Compression moulding
Florence Mfg Co.:
Below you can see the various markings and patterns seen on Florence items.
The History of Florence, Massachusetts, by Charles Arthur Sheffeld, 1895:
"FLORENCE MANUFACTURING COMPANY - In 1854 S.L. Hill and I.S. Parsons became associated with A.P. Critchlow in the manufacture of papier mache buttons, and union cases for daguerreotypes and ambrotypes. The firm was A.P. Critchlow & Co. In 1857 D.G. Littlefield became a partner, and in 1868 Mr. Critchlow sold out and the firm name was changed to Littlefield, Parsons & Co., and so remained till in the summer of 1866, the demand for the daguerreotype cases having declined, George A. Scott, S.L. Hinckley, George A. Burr, Mr. Littlefield, and Mr. Parsons formed the Florence Manufacturing Company, this company being the successors of Littlefield, Parsons & Co. The new firm began manufacturing toilet brushes, mirrors, lockets, etc. The reputation these "Florence" articles enjoy is an enviable one, and from the first the policy of the company has always been to stand at the head for variety of styles and elegance of designs.
The company at the present time manufacture toothbrushes, making a specialty of the Prophylactic, "Cosmeon" pure aluminium goods, "Florence" composition brushes and mirrors, and wood back toilet articles. The aluminium goods possess great merit, and seem destined to be even more popular than the well known "Florence" line. The main factory, a brick building, three stories high, one hundred and forty by forty five feet, was built in 1866. In 1885 a building one hundred by fifty feet, and two stories high, was erected adjoining the main structure, and in 1893 the office addition, thirty by forty five feet, three stories high, was made necessary owing to the constantly increasing business.
The company has a capital of 100,000, and employs from one hundred fifty to one hundred seventy five hands. The present officers are: E.W. Eaton, president; Frank N. Look, treasurer and general manager; J.E. Winchell, secretary; E.W. Eaton, H.R. Hinckley, and Frank N. Look, directors."
The Boston Diatite Company:
The Boston Diatite Company, Boston, Mass., was organized on August 12 1869.
SCOTT'S ELECTRIC
SCOTT'S ELECTRIC,
Old unusual gutta percha hair brush electricity motif. "Electric", with an arm holding lightning and a round design that says, " The Germ Of All Life Is Electricity". It is 9 1/4" long.
Black - quackery cures available in the late 1800's. Each brush could treat about every condition known from headaches to losing hair. Each brush had a magnet embedded in the brush, hence the electric mention. The large black brush is 9.5 inches in length and about 2.75 inches wide. Believed to be boars hair bristles. Gutta Percha handle, black. Marked "No. 5"Shipping with USPS and item will be well protected. Sorry, no returns and no warranty.Enjoy the great value/price instead.Dr. Scott, an Englishman, was the most prolific advertiser and maker of "electric hair brushes"and related quackery in America, in the 1880's. He received his first U.S. patent for a brush handle in 1872, and introduced his line of "electric brushes" in 1880. The Scott brushes and other devices all contain slightly magnetized iron rods in their handles, thus, the curative power could only have been provided by magnetism. However, Scott apparently preferred using the term "electric" in all of his advertising. Although, hair growth and relief from headaches are the two obvious claims that would come to mind for the possible use of an electric hair brush, Scott went on to make many wild claims for the curative power of his electric brushes. The conditions his brushes could cure included constipation, malarial lameness, rheumatism, diseases of the blood, and paralysis. While such claims seem outlandish to most people (and would have in 1880), each disease added to the advertising claims opened up a wider potential market for his brushes. Most of the (financially) successful quacks advertised devices that were claimed to cure almost every ailment, or, at least, the most common ones. Perhaps more outlandish than the medical claims for Scott's brushes is this warning printed on the hair brush box " Inno case should more than one person use the brush. If always used by the same person it retains its full curative power. Families sharing the brush, of course, wasn't in Scott's best interest - better to have two brushes in every home. Perhaps some of the dissatisfied users,for whom brushing their hair didn't cure their constipation, blamed their spouse for sucking up the power of their personal electric brush. In addition to his popular hair and flesh brushes,Scott marketed electric plasters, insoles, rheumatic rings, shoulder braces, throat protectors,nerve and lung invigorators, body belts, wristlets, sciatic appliances, anklets, leg appliances,office caps, and other special appliances made to order. He also offered electric curry combs for horses. His brochure states, " There need not be a sick person in America (save from accidents), if our appliances become a part of the wardrobe of every lady and gentleman, asalso of infants and children."
Unknown Makers:
Celluloid Vanity Boxes:
During the mid to late Victorian era, thermoplastic sets were often sold in celluloid-covered boxes. These sets included various grooming and vanity items such as hairbrushes, combs, mirrors, manicure sets and other accessories, all housed within decorative boxes made of celluloid.
Celluloid, being a versatile material, allowed for the creation of boxes with a wide range of decorations and motifs. Some boxes featured simple designs, while others were adorned with elaborate patterns and fancy shapes, often reflecting the popular decorative styles of the Victorian era such as Art Nouveau and Rococo Revival.
These celluloid-covered boxes served both functional and decorative purposes. They provided a convenient and stylish way to store and transport grooming and vanity sets while also adding a touch of elegance to dressing tables and boudoirs.
Today, these Victorian-era celluloid-covered boxes are highly collectible, prized for their historical significance and intricate designs. They offer a glimpse into the decorative tastes and social customs of the time, serving as both functional artifacts and decorative pieces of art.
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