Topic: Val St Lambert ,help from the ladies, are they for dressing table?

[Glassic]

I'm 'minded of gentlemans toiletry.  Men were just about stapled together not so many generations ago.
You guys have it sweet nowadays. No silver or crystal boxes for collars, clips, studs and cuff links. 
Victorian men had all that facial hair to trim, shaving soap was just that, hard soap kept in a box.  Laces, buttons and button hooks, all needing a home, the list is endless .... Of course you had your 'man' to keep it organised in the travel cases or topped and tidy up in your dressing room.   

[KevinH]

You guys have it sweet nowadays. No silver or crystal boxes for collars, clips, studs and cuff links.

Maybe, but I do have to get my cuff links see here out of their case, and it's such a hassle removing them from those tiny little elastic holders, and it's even more of a hassle trying to insert them into modern cuffs with their not-quite-big-enough cuff link holes [is there a special name for those?] and I sure don't have a man [or woman, for that matter] to achieve this for me. Oh, dear! Life is so hard these days!

[Andy]

Jay,
your id of an absinthe decanter and bowl for sugar cubes is my favourite so far!
Not being an absinthe drinker, what do you do with the sugar cubes?
Cheers Andy

[Glen]

Don't dismiss the "bottle" as a cologne bottle because of its large size. For example, contemporary advertising shows that Northwood's Grape & Cable stoppered bottle was intended as a ladies' cologne. The bottle stands 9 1/2" high! It was partnered with a puff box, a hatpin holder, a pin tray and a brush & comb tray. However, multi-use was undoubtedly intended for the Grape & Cable cologne, as it was also advertised partnered with 6 small "shots" as a whiskey set.

Cologne bottle? Whiskey decanter? Probably not a case of either or. Most likely a case of both!

(EDITED TO ADD....but not "both" at the same time  )

[Sue C]

I agree with Glen, i remember my nan used to get a large bottle of cologne from the chemist (i think it was the chemist) Lavender or Rose, and decanter it into a smaller bottle on her dressing table, i always remember the Lavender had a lilac ribbon on the neck and the Rose had a Pink ribbon, she also had jar's like yours for talcum powder, gosh what memories, i loved my nanna teeny.

[Jay]

Andy,
Absinthe is one of the purest forms of alcohol ever consumed, and very hard on the mouth if you drink it! The sugar is to 'soften the blow'! Just put the cube onto a teaspoon and dip into absinthe quickly before gulping.
(or apply a few drops from a bottle onto the cube). I've heard you can also set light to the sugar cube so that some of the excess alcohol fumes burn off like a christmas pudding effect, but I'm not sure that this was really common practise.
(Then it's more like a peppermint! but with a sting in the tail)
It is banned in many countries because the effects are almost 'hallucinogenic' and the after-effects like a Class A narcotic, also known as 'visiting the green fairy'.
Toulouse Lautrec and co. were crazy about the stuff, probably crazy because of the stuff too!

(see Kylie Minogue in 'Moulin Rouge').

Not to be attempted by the faint-hearted! (even if it IS legal in your area!) ;-)

I still think that it would be useful to know if there is any lip shaped into the neck of the decanter. Its size may give a clue, since a perfume/cologne decanter should typically produce quite a thin stream of fluid.

[Andy]

Thanks Jay,
no lip on neck of decanter, just nice close fit, etched 145 on stopper and inside of neck.
would be nice to know designer and age , but beautifully made.
Ive just had 3 pints of Guiness, thats enough for me! I would have tried Absynthe when younger,
but i dont think my liver could take it now!
Regards Andy