A pretty amber coloured hair comb with green rhinestone embellishment

 

CONDITION: good vintage condition with expected wear

 

SIZE: 5 x 4 ins (13 x 10 cm) decorative part 2½ ins (6 cm)

 

APPROXIMATE DATE: 1910s – 1920s

 

MATERIALS: celluloid, rhinestones

 

DESCRIPTION:

 

Here is a pretty smaller hair comb dating from the Art Deco period. It is made from an attractive caramel coloured celluloid with a roughly lozenge shaped heading. The openwork design of this is the usual combination of scrolls and swirls and is further embellished with dark green rhinestones, all of which are present and in good condition.

This type of ornament is often known as Spanish or mantilla comb because it resembles a smaller version of the traditional large shell ornaments worn by Spanish ladies with their native dress. In practice any comb which has a high upstanding heading or top which stands proud of the top of the head is often called a mantilla comb.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

These celluloid Spanish style combs became extremely fashionable in Britain and America during the early 20th century. However they fell out of use with the extremely short styles of the later 1920s. They were worn in a characteristic manner, being placed in the side or back of the hairdressing at an acute angle, and in such a way that the tall heading stood up proud. This enabled the often beautiful openwork decoration or the decorative effect which had been applied to the material, to be viewed from all angles, and for the details to be seen effectively outlined against the light.

The final picture with the collage shows some illustrations of similar hair accessories taken from contemporary sources and shows the manner in which they were worn