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Location June 1951:

Charles Foster & Co,
Suite 7013
Empire State Building

Factory:
17 East 102nd St.
N.Y.C.

Page 17 of Janice Berkson's book "Carry Me" includes a Charles Foster display ad on page 71 of the June 1951 issue of "Handbags & Accessories." The ad illustrates a laminated straw bag similar to this example with text indicating other designs included "lace, feather, gold and silver fringe and many other rare materials." This embedding process had been part of Foster's eyeglass frame lines before they branched out into handbags.

The display ad illustrated with the Charles Foster entry on page 17 reads,

The world's most beautiful Lucite Handbags
"Here is the new and most unusual laminated handbag which is fabricated with actual straws, laces, feathers, gold and silver fringes, and many other rare materials as featured by Saks 5ht Avenue, Magnins, Nieman Markus and other fine stores.
Our new and completely novel collection of Lucite handbags is produced in our own modern up-to-date plant. In addition to our laminated handbags we feature a complete line of butterscotch and clear Lucite. We are proud to present this entirely new concept of design and workmanship of handbags at our showroom."

Note the unusual shape of the latch hardware and fact the matching embedded material is in the latch hardware as well as the body.

A truly remarkable example that, while unmarked, has all the earmarks of Charles Foster, is this rainbow embedded wonder, sold online in 2006. Wilardy Wilardymade bags with a similar plaid embed and included this a a color choice in their 1953 catalog, but their hardware was completly different. (See pages 77 & 81 of Berkson's "Carry Me."


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Page last modified on July 23, 2011, at 07:16 PM