When life stinks, reach for a vinaigrette. In the 1850s and before, life in cities (and many small towns) was odious. In fact, July 1858 was so hot in London that the overloaded Thames river, where all waste flowed to, became overwhelming. A news reporter wrote "Gentility of speech is at an end—it stinks, and whoso once inhales the stink can never forget it and can count himself lucky if he lives to remember it". Gross! Many richer people fled the city for their airy country homes, but the majority of Londoners were forced to endure the miasma. A container like this one - filled with fragrant herbs or cotton soaked with perfume - would have been a way to mask the STANK.
MATERIALS: 10k gold (tests), new 14k gold chain
AGE: c. 1850
CONDITION: Very good - small hole in the repoussé border
SIZE: 1 1/8" x 7/8", 18" chain