Creepy Crawlers

The nude nymph cringing at the little crustacean crawling up her calf has appeared previously on this blog. By the German firm of Carl Schneider Erban, she is 4 inches long and is incised “15223” and “Germany," on her pincushion base. Her raven-haired companion in the same pose has lost her pincushion base but gained a rather daring off-the-shoulder striped bathing suit. Also 4 inches long, she shows how a clever manufacturer could tweak an existing mold to create a new model and expand a product line. 

She is incised “15150” under her lower hip. 

Who Would Be A Mermaid Fair. . . "

Singing alone,

Combing her hair

Under the sea,

In a golden curl

The Mermaid, Alfred Lord Tennyson, 1893

The image of a beautiful mermaid perched on a rocky shore while she combs out her long, lovely locks has long been an image in folk tales and sea shanties. Perhaps that is what inspired the French maker of this folding comb to adorn it with an image of a more modern version of the mermaid, a bathing beauty.

Just 3.5 inches long, this compact comb would be the perfect size for a beach belle to tuck into her purse for a trip to the seaside.

Of ivory-colored celluloid, the piece is stamped, "Made in France."