Virginia Beach, Virginia, Leather Handkerchief Holder Box

ATLANTIC SOUTH. 
Leather Handkerchief Box, Souvenir, c. 1930s. 

Before the ubiquity of disposable paper products took hold across the middle and late 20th century, Americans had two dominant methods for clearing a stuffed-up nose: the old reliable method of blocking one nostril and giving the other a hearty blow, with a repeat performance one nostril over being optional (this certainly having been the most popular method for most of human history)—or—the more refined and sanitary method: using a handkerchief. And until the mentioned popularization of paper substitutes, most folks carried one around … In the great American tradition of converting most anything into a souvenir collectible, here we have a gold-star example: a leather-covered balsa-weight box that fits in the hand, the box edges and interior covered in a reptile-skin pattern paper, secured with a strap button snap. We have seen dozens of these wonderful boxes in almost as many different styles. Capable of storing 5 or 6 folded handkerchiefs, it would appear that multiple manufacturers got in on the fad, which we date to the 1930s on through the war years based on scant background information, but more so the stylistic choices. Hand-painted most likely in volume and following a template (a method similar to the popular 1970-80s airbrush-tee-shirt painting booths at amusement parks), we figure that localities or local businesses the nation over could custom order these boxes and were able to choose not just the leather-embossed town name, but also from a range of painted illustrations to match the character of their geographic location. Florida cities seemed to be especially well-represented by these handkerchief box souvenirs. But we have seen them for towns and cities, large and small, from New York to Wisconsin to Arizona, with several different styles of embossed lettering and leather-detailing, each illustration being a unique creation (if template based). This wonderful leather handkerchief box was likely sold out of a Virginia Beach, Virginia, department store, the sailboat motif one we have also seen put to use in a similar style for Corpus Christi, Texas. Given that this souvenir box is pushing a century-old, its condition is really remarkable. There is only a single corner that shows age wear at all, the box and red-paper covering fully intact, with the button snap still on the job; though we recommend being very careful with its leather strap, leather drying to brittle a common issue with such older souvenirs. 

Condition: Used Very Good. 
Local / Regional Areas. 
Dimensions: 5" wide x 4" high x 2" deep / 4 oz