Butterfly Wings!

My mind has been blown - I recently learnt that some vintage compact designs were actually made with real butterfly wings. There are several designs I have found so far by popular brands such as Gwenda and Coty. They have a beautiful iridescent blue background, reflecting different shades of blue. There are a few of these designs around however if you're looking for one with genuine butterfly wings watch out as some have also been made by creating the same effect with foil.

At first I couldn't believe that real butterfly wings were actually used, I searched the internet for evidence of such claims but I couldn't find any definitive answers from a credible source. I decided to try my luck and contact Juliette Edwards to see if she could help me. I felt very privileged to receive a reply straight away which was very informative - confirming that they were indeed used, and how to identify real butterfly wing compacts.

Juliette advised that this topic is covered in her book “Compacts- A Collectors’ Manual” - I'll get this added on my Where to Look post.  Most of the butterfly wings used came from the Amazonian butterfly called 'Morpho Didius'.  They were also used on pin trays, brooches, and jewellery. Coloured foil was also used as it was presumably cheaper and easier to resource. Foil also lasts longer, if the butterfly wings were to get damp, they would shed scales and lose colour. The Cites agreement now prohibits the use of such natural materials. 

The best way to identify if the design is made with real butterfly wings is to look at the design with a magnifying glass. If its a real butterfly wing compact, you'll be able to see the scales on the wings. I have two butterfly wing compacts but at the moment I'm undecided on whether they're real butterfly wings, I need another couple (always a good excuse ha!) to compare them to and determine if they are genuine. I'll keep you posted!

Cleaning your compacts

As promised, here’s a little guide to cleaning your beautiful little treasures.

I’m afraid I cannot take responsibility for any damage caused by using any of my processes, so please only use at your own risk and with caution!

Be prepared with:

• Methylated Spirit - be careful not to spill / drip etc.
• Cotton buds
• Toothbrush
• Cotton wool
• Water - can be be mixed with a mild soap

First of all, I must advise you stay well clear from the mirror. If you get any water on the mirror, it will fog up, smear, and you’ll be devastated. Having said that, cleaning the mirror is possible. I found that provided the mirror is totally secure, you can use a teeny drop of methylated spirit on cotton wool to clean the mirror. The alcohol will evaporate and you’ll need to keep wiping in circular motions with the cotton wool, with a small bit of pressure to get rid of any smears and make it look sparkly new. But be careful.. I scared myself the first time I was able to see my reflection.

Care must also be taken with the exterior of the compact. You should only attempt to clean your compact provided there is no damage to the design. Designs are made of different materials and common sense comes into play here (for example you cannot clean a paper design with water or chemical). If the surface is metallic and/or an etched design, I would use methylated spirit and cotton buds to clean any detailed crevices and finish off with cotton wool to polish up. If the surface is enamel or resin, I would use the same method but only if there are no cracks or signs of damage to the surface. If you’re struggling to remove any tough dirt, you can also use a toothbrush with a very gentle force - you wouldn't want to leave scratches. If there are any signs of damage then I would strongly suggest contacting an expert for advice so as not to worsen the damage.

Now, if you’re like me you’ll want to discard any used puffs and any residual powder in the compact. You can clean out any remaining powder with an old toothbrush, and then gently scrub the base with a drop of methylated spirit or mild soapy water to remove any last remaining grains. Some powder or dirt may have built up in any internal recesses or the outside rim of the compact - use a dampened cotton bud to clean up any of these hidden areas.

As a final touch, you can use dry cotton wool to gently rub over the compact’s surfaces to polish off any finger marks. You should now be in the possession of a beautiful clean (and less smelly) compact.

Here are a couple I tried earlier..

A 1950’s Regency Stratton Compact - I cleaned the design very gently with cotton wool as there is visible wear and tear to the image, and used a drop of spirit on the outer frame.

A 1950’s Eros Statue Compact - I believe this is a Kigu Darling compact but please correct me if i’m wrong as I've not been able to find a makers mark or much information to confirm this.

I discarded the old used puff, cleaned out the residual powder with cotton buds and cotton wool, and finished off polishing up the mirror and the base.

Unfortunately I don't have enough hands to take pictures of the full cleaning process, however if there is enough interest, I'm happy to video the process and update the post. Please feel free to email or comment below should you have any questions and I'll try to help.

Where to look?

The biggest national source of information on vintage compacts is through the British Compact Collectors Society (BCCS). The society was founded by life member Juliette Edwards, a name you will become familiar with during your research as Juliette is the godmother of all compact collectors. In my short time as a collector I have seen the respect and following this lady has, as a result of her amazing knowledge and passion for vintage compacts, particularly the Stratton range.

The British Compact Society costs £18.00 a year to join and after only being a member for a couple of months, I feel like I have already had my monies worth due to the amount of information opened up to me. They’re also a wonderful community of people from all generations who like to collect, share, and help answer each others questions. The society members also meet up at annual conventions with guest speakers and I really hope I’m able to attend one year; just to see other treasured compact collections and learn more about the different vintage compacts I’m yet to discover.

Juliette Edwards is also author of the self-published book; The Stratton Identification Key. I have found this book invaluable and this is now my bible for helping me to identify Stratton compacts. The book helps to identify compacts through families and dates of the different styles manufactured, also indicating which compacts are more common or rare to find. You can purchase the book by writing to Juliette, through the BCCS website here.

The objective of this blog is to help share information for anyone researching vintage compacts and I have listed a few links below to get you started. I’ll come back and add to these links as I find more that are helpful. I'll also be looking at helpful books and sharing the titles on my blog to help with your research. Vintage compacts are always in fashion and I aim to open the barriers of compact collecting for all generations because it can be so much fun!

Click ‘em up for more info:

British Compact Collectors Society - The BCCS official website

The Compact Clinic- Experts on restoring compacts

Vanroe Compacts - An inspiring entrepreneur

Vintage Compacts (Kigu) - A goldmine of information on Kigu

Collecting Vintage Compacts Blog - A packed blog full of information on individual designs

Poodles and Pincurls - A fun vintage beauty blog

Miavenues - Good tips for dating your Stratton

Antique Atlas - A big collection of compacts

Pinterest - 1920's to 1950's Stratton - Some beautiful examples of Stratton compacts.

Compacts- A Collectors’ Manual - Juliette Edward's first book is an excellent guide for  beginner 

History of Stratton

The story of Stratton powder compacts actually begins with knitting needles….

(credit to http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/File:Im193412GHK-Stratnoid.jpg#filelinks)

In 1868 the company was founded and began the manufacture of Stratnoid knitting products. In the early 1920’s Stratton began importing components from America and began marketing powder compacts, known as Stratnoids. Personally, I enjoy collecting the older compacts and Stratnoids are still relatively obtainable if you look in the right places although I’m yet to add one to my collection.  In the early 1930’s they began manufacturing their own components and the branding became became better known as Stratton.  

Stratton were affiliated with other companies through mergers and changed hands several times. Other parts of the business became known for the manufacture of radio transmitters which became more popular and advanced through the decades as new technology became available.

It's fascinating to learn that the company made huge contributions to the armed forces during war times, manufacturing thousands of transmitters and receivers for the forces. The company also sold other beauty products such as the ‘Reduca chin-strap helmet’, designed to reduce the look of your double chin without creams! However, I’m here to tell you about the fancy metal section of the business.

Stratton compacts became very fashionable and by the mid 1930’s Stratton were the biggest UK producer of powder compacts, owning  half of the  market share. The earlier Strattons were marketed as non-spill compacts, featuring a well in the centre of the compact to hold the powder.

Unfortunately during the WWII bombings; Stratton lost four out of five of their factories halting production but according to Graces’ Guide some machines in the remaining factory were modified to help war efforts. The machines that made Stratton’s charming lipstick holders were modified to produce shell cases.

In 1946  Stratton resumed production and their beautiful fancy metal works became as popular as ever.

More notable Stratton dates:

1948 - Stratton patented their self opening inner lid, a very popular feature of Stratton compacts enabling ladies to get to the powder without chipping a nail.

1956 - Stratton patented the frame style lid of their convertible compacts, allowing the compact to be used for either solid or loose powder.

I enjoy looking at the vintage advertisements for Stratton compacts as I believe they give an insight into the social history of the time:

Stratton advert 1959:

(credit to Vanroe’s fascinating blog https://powdercompacts.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/strattons-vintage-powder-compact-advertisements/)

Stratton advert for Reader's Digest 1970:

(credit to Vanroe’s fascinating blog https://powdercompacts.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/strattons-vintage-powder-compact-advertisements/ )

Arguably, the most popular or most available vintage compacts are their Princess, Queen convertible, and standard convertible compacts as they each remained in production for around 40 years, from the 1950’s to 1997. It can be difficult to date these however you can get an idea by looking at the design on the lid of the compact and the design of the base.

There is no definitive way of dating a compact that I have found (so far) but there are ways to get a rough idea of how old your Stratton is and i'll be posting about this soon, however I've found this YouTube video which also offers some good tips :

Stratton also acquired other big brands such as Kigu and Mascot and continued to manufacture beauty products until 1997.

The company changed names and is now back in production, importing components and selling as Stratton of Mayfair.

Thinking inside the box

If you want to start a collection of compacts then you need to have a think about how to store them. They need to be protected from potential scratching and from bright sunlight which may cause fading.

There are some lovely vintage boxes around but I decided to make my own box to store them in as I love to make things and try out new crafts. I started with a plank of wood and ended up with this:

The box measurements are:

Height: 22 cm              Width: 27 cm          Depth :22 cm

I used wood from a local DIY shop where they sell off cuts from kitchen installations, felt lining from E bay, napkins for the decoupaged lid and some wood dye, varnish, and handles from Wilko. The materials used cost approximately £10.00 to make plus a good few hours. Here's how it came together:

After carefully measuring the pieces, I clamped the plank down and used a mitre saw to cut them, I also clamped a guide on top to make sure I end up with straight lines. My cheeky cat tried to help. I’d advise to do any woodwork outside to save the mess but unfortunately for me it happened to be a rainy day.

  

I never realised the amount of preparation needed to make a box square with straight lines and no gaps. I lined up the pieces to find the best fit and shaved off some tiny slithers of wood to make sure I had straight lines. Then I measured out and marked where I needed to drill to screw the pieces together, bearing in mind the thickness of the wood. I drilled and screwed, then spent a good two hours sanding the box shape down with an electric sander.

Then it was time to stain the wood using a wood dye, I applied 3 coats of dye allowing 4 hours to dry in between each coat. After 24 hours, I then applied the varnish and had to apply four coats as the new wood was quite thirsty. Before doing this, it’s worth trying out the dye and varnish of a test piece to make sure you’re happy with the colour before you cover the box with it.

In-between coats, I also spray painted the wood lid an off white colour as i didn’t want the colour of the wood to show through my decoupage. I then decoupaged the lid using paper napkins and decoupage glue.

I used a stand so I could stain all sides without getting the dye on anything it shouldn’t.

The decoupage took over 24 hours to dry and remained tacky for another 48 hours

Once I was happy with the finish, I trimmed all the edges and patched up any rough areas. I then added handles to the sides of the box for carrying.

I lined the box interior with felt to prevent any scratching and to give a softer appearance

Then I screwed the hinges to fix the lid and viola!!

Rookie mistake

I was cleaning my compacts a couple of days ago and it seems I have a confession to make. It turns out that the rose design compact I discussed in my first buy post wasn't actually my first buy, I can't believe I'd forgotten one! So to make up for it, here is my actual first buy:

This is a Musica or Musical compact, the name changed from Musica to Musical in-between the 1950's to 1960's. If anyone can help me identify a more specific date please don't hesitate to contact me. Its not much to look at from the outside and this example is showing its age however the inside is another story.

A wind up mechanism situated to the left and the small pin next to this allows the beholder to listen to music while applying their face powder from the compartment which is held behind the inner lid on the right hand side.

It reminds me of a musical ballerina jewellery box I once had when I was little. It saddens me how much stuff we throw away (myself included) which could have been passed on or held onto. Who knows, it could become a collectable one day! 

I have a challenge for you; is anyone able to identify the song?

Why Papilio?

You may be wondering why this blog is called Papilio compacts…. well.... I have an obsession for butterflies and the most precious Stratton compact I own is.. you guessed it.. a butterfly design! I’ll be showing you this along with my other little treasures later. Papilio is Latin for the noun, butterfly, and after much deliberation I decided to go with it.

Coming soon, you can also expect to see a ‘how to’ tutorial on cleaning up your compacts where I’ll give you some tips and tricks on keeping your compacts looking sparkly new.

One day I also hope to have a go at designing my own compacts, inspired by a fellow Stratton compact collector, Vanroe, who makes and sells charming luxury compacts. Vanroe also has a very  informative blog here: https://powdercompacts.wordpress.com/ where you can learn more about compact collecting and the Vanroe range. Vanroe’s success story was a huge inspiration to me in starting my collection and to start a blog with my own brand name.

The British compact collectors society (http://www.compactcollectors.co.uk) is also a good place to start if you’re looking for information about specific compacts. There is a Q&A section available for non-members but to get the juicy stuff, you would need to join. The membership comes with a logon to their website where members can ask and help answer fellow members questions. You’ll also receive a membership pack and quarterly newsletters containing facts about vintage compacts. I have recently joined and I’m eagerly awaiting the membership pack!

There are also several books out there about compacts and vintage beauty which I’ll be posting my own reviews of soon.

Watch this space!

My first buy

This is the first vintage compact I bought…(thanks to EBay)

This is a compact made by Stratton of England and dates back to the mid 1960’s to early 1970’s. The size and inner lid design helps to identify this Stratton compact and i’m 90% certain it's one of the more popular convertibles, designed to take solid as well as loose powder. Although the measurements are very slightly out so please correct me if i’m wrong.

The inner lid is designed to hold the powder in place, and this one came complete with the sifter. A puff would then be used to prevent the powder from spilling.

I was attracted by the delicate rose design and the fact that it also came with a matching lipstick holder - which I thought was very chic. The social history of these items fascinates me; I imagine being the person receiving this as a gift back then and thinking about what it meant to them. If you’re looking at starting a collection, I would recommend starting off with the compacts that you really like the look of before researching into rarities or focusing on a particular brand or period.

I’ve decided not to collect the lipstick holders although they’re kinda cute, and even include the type of lipstick on the base. However I do like the matching sets and think these would be an asset to any collection.

After buying this compact, I realised I wanted to research and discover more designs. I found myself on Ebay  more often than not and before I knew it, I was collecting.

Stratton of England are one of the biggest manufacturers of ladies compacts and because my first buy was a Stratton, I have decided to focus my collection on these for the time being.

I am still a beginner though and I may choose to expand into other manufacturers such as Kigu further down the line.  You can find a fantastic website here: http://www.vintage-compacts.com providing extensive knowledge on the Kigu designs. I however, like a challenge and will be sharing the research I find on Stratton which, although a huge manufacturer, seem to have little information accessible online!