Ideal face powder box with a cockatoo design marked Rachel
- Date
-
manufacture:
approximately 1920-approximately 1949
- Geography
-
manufacture:
Kostinbrod (Bulgaria)
- Language
-
Bulgarian
- Classification
-
Containers
- Category
-
Boxes
- Object Type
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Powder boxes (Cosmetics containers) (lcsh)
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Barbara Rein
Unused, Ideal brand face powder with a cockatoo on the lid manufactured in the large Nikola Chilova chemical plant in Kostinbrod, Bulgaria, between the 1920s and the 1940s. The powder color, Rachel, is stamped on the bottom and references Eliza Rachel Felix (1821- 1858), a popular Jewish, French stage actress from the mid-1800s. She performed under the stage name Rachel and was well-known as a beautiful, talented, and graceful performer. At the time, most proper woman did not wear cosmetics, but it was common practice for actresses, especially as stages were becoming better lit and their faces were more visible. Mass produced cosmetics were typically powder based and came in 3 colors, rose, white, and a darker crème color often associated with brunettes with dark coloring. This was likely the color used by the dark haired Rachel, and her name quickly became synonymous with the creamier powder color. At the end of the 1800s and into the 1900s, greasepaint with a numbered color system came to dominate stage cosmetics, while the older powder-based varieties and their original names became quite popular and were used by respectable women in all parts of society. During the first half of the 1900s, the spelling of Rachel began to vary, but was maintained as a color and eventually expanded to include a range of associated shades, with the number of tints peaking in the 1950s.
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Record last modified: 2022-08-17 11:27:43
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn515243
Also in Barbara Rein collection
The collection consists of four face powder containers marked with the color name Rachel sold in Bulgaria before and during the Holocaust, including the period when Bulgaria was an Axis ally.
Date: 1916-approximately 1943
Regina face powder box with a crown design marked Rachel
Object
Unused, Regina brand face powder with an art deco design and crown logo on the lid manufactured by K. A. Chavdarov in Sofia, Bulgaria, in approximately 1940. The powder color, Rachel, is stamped on the bottom in purple ink and references Eliza Rachel Felix (1821- 1858), a popular Jewish, French stage actress from the mid-1800s. She performed under the stage name Rachel, was well-known in Europe, Russia, and the United States as a beautiful, talented, and graceful performer. At the time, most proper woman did not wear cosmetics, but it was common practice for actresses, especially as stages were becoming better lit and their faces were more visible. Mass produced cosmetics were typically powder based and came in 3 colors, rose, white, and a darker crème color often associated with brunettes with dark coloring. This was likely the color used by the dark haired Rachel, and her name quickly became synonymous with the creamier powder color. At the end of the 1800s and into the 1900s, greasepaint with a numbered color system came to dominate stage cosmetics, while the older powder-based varieties and their original names became quite popular and were used by respectable women in all parts of society. During the first half of the 1900s, the spelling of Rachel began to vary, but was maintained as a color and eventually expanded to include a range of associated shades, with the number of tints peaking in the 1950s.
Mignot-Boucher face powder box marked Rachel with an excise label
Object
Unused, Germandrée brand face powder with a tax stamp manufactured by Mignot-Boucher in Sofia, Bulgaria, between 1916 and 1943. Mignot-Boucher was a French company founded in 1818, and bought in 1916, by the Jewish Bulgarian Arié family. The company became a driving economic force, growing the family’s prestige and wealth as it improved the nation’s manufacturing power. In 1941, Bulgaria joined the Axis alliance and increased the systematic persecution of Jews, including an official boycott of Jewish goods. In 1943, the owners of the company were arrested under the pretense of stealing from the state. The arrest was driven by anti-Semitism, and once they were hanged for their false crimes the company passed into Bulgarian control. The powder color, Rachel, is stamped on the bottom and likely references Eliza Rachel Felix (1821- 1858), a popular Jewish, French stage actress from the mid-1800s who performed under the stage name Rachel. At the time, most proper woman did not wear cosmetics, but it was common practice for actresses. Mass produced cosmetics were typically powder based and came in 3 colors, rose, white, and a darker crème color. This was likely the color used by the dark haired Rachel, and her name quickly became synonymous with the creamier powder color. At the end of the 1800s, theatrical cosmetics became popular and were used by respectable women in all parts of society. During the first half of the 1900s, Rachel was maintained as a color and eventually expanded to include a range of associated shades.
Mignot-Boucher face powder box marked Rachel with a Star of David label
Object
Unused, Germandrée brand face powder with a Jewish product stamp manufactured by Mignot-Boucher in Sofia, Bulgaria, between 1942 and 1943. Mignot-Boucher was a French company founded in 1818, and bought in 1916, by the Jewish Bulgarian Arié family. The company became a driving economic force, growing the family’s prestige and wealth as it improved the nation’s manufacturing power. In 1941, Bulgaria joined the Axis alliance and increased the systematic persecution of Jews, including an official boycott of Jewish goods. In 1942, stamps indicating that an item was a Jewish product were added to merchandise like the powder. In 1943, the owners of the company were arrested under the pretense of stealing from the state. The arrest was driven by anti-Semitism, and once they were hanged for their false crimes the company passed into Bulgarian control. The powder color, Rachel, is stamped on the bottom and likely references Eliza Rachel Felix (1821- 1858), a popular Jewish, French stage actress from the mid-1800s who performed under the stage name Rachel. At the time, most proper woman did not wear cosmetics, but it was common practice for actresses. Mass produced cosmetics came in 3 colors, rose, white, and a darker crème color. This was likely the color used by the dark haired Rachel, and her name quickly became synonymous with the creamier powder color. At the end of the 1800s, theatrical cosmetics became popular and were used by respectable women in all parts of society. During the first half of the 1900s, Rachel was maintained as a color and eventually expanded to include a range of associated shades.
