“A Lady’s Dressing Case”

A$750 · Offered by Douglas Stewart Fine Books

[English, 1820-1840]. Handmade amusement. Single card sheet representing a lady s vanity case, 190 x 230 mm, the recto covered in green paper, with manuscript title at head A Lady s Dressing Case , the nine drawers below in the form of paper flaps with manuscript labels describing items associated with a lady s toilet in other words, the trappings of vanity! The drawers open to reveal an ironic abstract concept inside, for example the Superfine rouge drawer contains Modesty , the Earrings drawer contains Attention , The best lip salve drawer contains Cheerfulness , the A good eye water drawer contains Pity , The best white paint drawer contains Innocence , and so on; one drawer, though, which is cryptically marked It contains , reveals the word Vanity , as if to mock the person who was tempted to open it; the verso is covered in blue paper and has an original verse of ten rhyming couplets titled For a Lady s Toilet , which expands upon the concept of virtue versus vanity and incorporates the various phrases used in the Dressing Case on the front; original gold-papered border; some minor creasing to the delicate paper flaps, but otherwise very well preserved, a miraculous survivor. A charming and unique handmade amusement from the Late Georgian to Early Victorian period, which carries a strong moral message. Text of the poem on the verso: For a Lady s Toilet To you who have beauty and wish not to spoil it These lines are prescribed to furnish your toilet. Be your Minor Good se

• Binding: Hardcover

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