Beautiful Vintage RIchard Hudnut gold-tone vanity store with Faux diamonds in original case - c. 1950. See description
Beautiful Vintage RIchard Hudnut gold-tone vanity with Faux diamonds, in its original case - c. 1950
It is nice to know a little back ground information about a particular item … that store is part of the pleasure of collecting. One should always know something about their vintage treasures.
This is a very lovely and tasteful vanity by Richard Hudnut ... it is breath-taking to look at ... two words describe it ... Luxurious and Elegant. Once you see it in person ... you will agree. It is in its original immaculate condition ... which is amazing for a product that is about 72-years-old. It reminds one of a classic Duesenberg auto that has been lovingly restored ... but this vanity is all original. This Richard Hudnut vanity was an expensive item when it was first introduced ... it was admired and prized even by the wealthy elite who were used to seeing and owning luxury items.
It features on the cover of this rich looking gold-tone compact .... a circle of 20 Faux Diamonds and six stunning dark blue stones on the sides of the circle of Faux Diamonds. The inside of the vanity displays a never used puff applicator for the loose powder and one for the rouge. The petite gold-tone lipstick tube slides out of its holder and the small button on the slender tube is then pushed up to reveal the lipstick. The two puff applicators, tube of lipstick, rouge and the loose powder have not been used. The loose powder is now kept in a small plastic bag that has been kept separate from the vanity in order to keep the vanity pristine looking. The mirror in the lid is still sparkling new looking. Above the mirror is the name Richard Hudnut ... just in case you should forget it.
I think the reason why this case was never used ... is that it was sooooo beautiful looking ... that the owner did not wish to spoil its dazzling appearance ... it is truly lovely to look at and admire ... because it is a cosmetic work of art ... it is like a paining in the Louvre Museum, This beautiful expensive vanity must have been given to a special lady by a very special man in her life .... she must have admired its beauty so much that she never wished to use it and decided to keep it as a loving keepsake ... because to her ... this vanity must have represented the specialness of her relationship with her admirer. Love of the heart and mind is a a special gift.
Richard Alexander Hudnut was born in Philadelphia, but he later moved with his family to Brooklyn and he enrolling at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. Richard's father (Alexander Hudnut) operated a series of drug stores in Brooklyn, first in Court Street from 1855, then on the junction of Fulton and Washington Streets, before settling at 218 Broadway in the new Herald Building in 1867. He inaugurated the idea of the all-night drug store, Hudnut's Pharmacy became the meeting place for night-owls like newspaper reporters, actors and drama critics who selected drinks from one of the largest soda fountains in New York.
Richard Hudnut began working in his father's drug store at the 218 Broadway address in 1873. He later opened his own pharmacy at 925 Broadway in 1899, the year his father sold his business. This meant there were two Hudnut pharmacies in New York for many years; one operated by Richard Hudnut uptown at 925 Broadway, the other downtown at 207 Broadway, later owned by Frederick F. Anness and George H. Bancroft. The two firms co-existed amicably … most likely because Richard did not do much advertising so he may not have been much a business threat.
In the beginning, the first cosmetic products were home-made beauty products that were made in one's kitchen. Later in time, better quality cosmetics were made by pharmacists and sold in their drug stores. Because of their knowledge of chemicals and access to them, pharmacists were the ideal makers of cosmetics and perfumes. As sales increased for such products, pharmacists started to make a wider range of products. Drug stores were basically the first unofficial cosmetic stores. Many drugstores of today still sell cosmetics ... but they sell products that are made by brand name cosmetic companies.
For reasons that are unknown, Richard Hudnut began to make fragrances. He had not been influenced by his father. Maybe he was trying to impress a young lady? … or it was simply a business idea? His first fragrances, released in 1880 were made well before he set up on his own business. He was so interested in perfumes that he later visited Grasse France to tour the perfume factories there to learn how to improve his own formulas.
Richard desired to not only make perfumes and cosmetics, but he was thinking large … he wanted others to sell his products. As a result, he sent out booklets containing details of his formulations to possible customers who would carry his products in their stores. He also advertised in trade magazines for new outlets to sell his products. He desired to only create high-end products that would bear his name. He wished for his perfumes, cosmetics and other products that he made to be high-end. He was not interested in low priced products. Richard had a strict price policy and all of his retailers had to sign an agreement to maintaining his prices or else be cut off from his products.
By 1900, RIchard had created a wide range of products that were sold across the United States. He sold perfumes, toilet waters, cologne waters, sachets, scented tablets, hair preparations, tooth powders, tooth washes, and soaps, toilet and face powders, skin creams and other cosmetics. He was very business minded.
In 1905, he expand his business and purchased land at 115-117 East 29th Street. He had a six-story building constructed that contained space for offices, manufacturing, shipping, and a showroom was later added to the site. Richard Hudnut was “moving on up” as the saying goes. Because of the high-quality of his products and his high prices, he was doing very well. He later developed cold cream products and a very wide range of face powders, lipstick rouges for the lips, manicure preparations.
In 1916 Richard Hudnut was 60-years old, decided to sell his stock in the Richard Hudnut business and retire. He would later spend much his remaining years at the Château Juan-les-Pins on the French Riviera, a residence he had purchased in 1914. Richard not only made great perfumes … but he also knew how to live .... and live well he did.
The new owners of the Richard Hudnut Company kept the established and well-known Richard Hudnut name. The Richard Hundnut brand included a wide range of products ... Du Barry, Three Flowers, Gemey, and Marvelous cosmetic product lines. Their packaging, advertising and showrooms were upscale. The company continued to expand and be successful due to numerous new products that it added.
As for compacts like the above Richard Hudnut vanity ... The 1950s was the high point of the compact era, cosmetic compacts date from the early 1900s, a time when make-up had not gained widespread social acceptance and the first powder cases were often concealed within accessories such as walking sticks, jewelry, and hatpins. Unfortunately, the 1950s was also the beginning of the end of the compact era .... soon to come would be cheaper plastic models that would be manufactured by the cosmetic companies and advertised as ... "New" ... "Modern" ... "Sleek in design" ... They were simply cheap to make and were disposable. ... Most of the mass marketed compacts of the 1960s and beyond lacked the beauty and grandeur of previous years compacts that had been valued, treasured and saved by women .... simply because they were beautiful and feminine looking. Women did not consider bland plastic compacts to be classic or special looking ... they were just utilitarian ... useful but not beautiful .... Mass marketed compacts were generally plain looking in appearance and did not possess any value in the eyes of the owner ... as a result, there was a lack of desire to save them ... unless one was simply a hoarder of anything.
Originally cosmetic compacts were not only used to hold loose and pressed powder their design was used to attract the attraction of a potential buyer to a product ... no matter if they were made from metal, paper, or Bakelite materials. The early cosmetic compacts were designed to be beautiful and attract attention as well as hold the product. The first cosmetic companies competed against one another by designing petite, cute, unique, and glamorous compacts. Young feminine women desired petite, cute, and unique compacts, sophisticated women wanted elegant and glamorous styled compacts. Attractive and appealing compacts created a desire to own a brands product. Lavish looking compacts increased sales .... and they increased value in the mind of the buyer ... just as they do today.
Old style charm and beautiful cosmetic compacts continued to be in widespread production up to the 1960s, then their popularity slowly began to diminish as the cosmetics manufacturers created cheap plastic compacts that were designed to be discarded. Cosmetic companies tended to spend the money that they saved on manufacturing grand compacts by advertising in every media to attract customers.
Today, a few high-end cosmetic manufacturers still make beautiful looking compacts in addition to the mass marketed ones for those that are simply looking for a less expensive product and are not overly concerned about possessing a pretty, beautiful, or luxurious compact (which is understandable in an era of high inflation, low wages, and expensive costs for anything.) Fortunately, we still have fond remembrances in pictures and access to looking at and even purchasing vintage compacts like this one on the Internet. Family members have found them in old makeup vanities and the dresser drawers of their mothers, aunts, and grandmothers and collectors of all kinds have made them available on the Internet for various reasons. ... I am listing my vintage makeup treasures because of my advanced age, as a result, I wish to share them with others who will enjoy, appreciate and value them as I have over the past 50-plus years. As a former film and television makeup artist I have collected over 4,000 vintage items during my career. It was a little hobby that turned into a pleasing passion. There were many different types and designs of vintage compacts that were made in the past ... petite, cute, unique, exotic, pretty, beautiful, glamorous, elegant, etc. There is a vintage compact on the Internet for every type of taste and budget. Collecting is an enjoyable pleasure. Looking at and sharing one's collection with family members and friends is a pleasing past time. Each compact has a little history or story that is enjoyable to hear.
Each vintage cosmetic has a unique and interesting story of its own.
This vintage item was previously part of the personal makeup collection of famed Hollywood makeup artist Ben Lane. Mr. Lane was the former Director of the Makeup Department for R.K.O. Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, and Warner Brothers Pictures and Warner Brothers Television. He was a makeup artist on a variety of classic films such as: The Good Earth, Gunga Din, Show Boat, and countless other films of the Golden Era of Hollywood. His last film before his retirement was the 1981 lovable classic film “Annie.” He was one of the original founders of the Motion Picture Makeup Artists Association (MPMAA,) which later in 1937 became the IATSE - Local 706, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Guild in Hollywood (the Film and Television union.) He was also a member of the Society of Makeup Artists (referred to as SMA on screen credits,) and an Honorary Lifetime Member of the International Society of Makeup Artists (also referred to as ISOMA – it is an International Association of Makeup Artists.) See the ISOMA Internet website: http://isomacosmetics.com/honors.htm to see pictures of Mr. Lane working and to read more about Mr. Lanes wonderful career under the heading on the left titled: ISOMA Honors.
Mr. Lane had a large unique collection of vintage Max Factor, Miners, Leichner, Steins, Chass. D. Hess, Zauder Bros, Warner Brothers, Westmore's of Hollywood, Chesebrough-Ponds, Colgate, Cutex, DeVilbliss, Don Juan, Dorothy Gray, Edna Wallace Hopper, Harriet Hubbard Ayers, Kurlash, Charles of the Ritz, Lady Ester, Lilly Dache, Marie Earle, Llouis Philippe, Luxor, Naylon by La Cross, Nu Masca, Park & Tilford, Ruth Rogers, Krypolan, Ben Nye, Bob Kelly, Hazel Bishop, Revlon, Maybelline, Shiseido, Mark Traynor, Makeup Center, Custom Color Cosmetics, ISOMA Cosmetics, and many more.
Mr. Lane also had other rare cosmetic products that were related to the beauty and film industry in his collection from his many years of working as a makeup artist in the entertainment industry of Hollywood ... such as face foundations from the 1935 Elizabeth Arden “Screen & Stage” Cosmetic line (few people today know that this line existed after Elizabeth Arden spent millions of dollars manufacturing and promoting it, in. her quest to be the new Max Factor of Hollywood .... or the Elizabeth Arden of Hollywood. Ben Lane was one of Hollywood's premier makeup artists during the Golden Age of Hollywood movie making.
This is a nice addition for the vintage collector of cosmetic products and for the vintage collector of cosmetic movie memorabilia or for those that love items from a bygone era.
If vintage cosmetics could talk ... they would reveal amazing secrets and stories.