Striking a pose, while her pussycat takes repose, this beauteous belle cast in pure white bisque is a bit of a mystery. She is stamped underneath in graceful cursive "Perlena," but I have yet to find any maker of that name. My Internet searches have turned up a number of finely made figurines both in porcelain and bisque with this mark, but no manufacturer. I suspect that Perlena may have been the name of a distributor of fancy goods or a high-end gift shop. But if her origins are hidden, her beauty is openly displayed. She is superbly sculpted from her elaborately coifed hair to her slim feet in dainty heels pumps. This curvaceous coquette with her kitten companion is 6.5 inches tall.
One might glance at her shoes and headband and think she portrays a flirtatious flapper of the 1920s, but I believe her dress, what there is of it, dates from the 1910s era. The complex coiled chignon, held in place by ribbons or a headband, is the epitome of early Edwardian chic.
And, as this 1905 shoe advertisement shows, slender heeled pumps with a single strap were already gracing fashionable feet.
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