Hand Painted And Gilded Papier Mache Aide Memoire

This lovely hand painted and gilded papier mache aide memoire would have certainly caught the eye when taken from the ladies purse or handbag. The decoration, which covers both sides, is very reminiscent of a William Morris panel or wallpaper in the Arts and Crafts style. The insides of the covers are lined with a dark blue silk and there are three leaves of coated card, which allow you to write on them with the pencil, and later erase the note. There are still faint traces of writing on these leaves. The covers are held together by inserting the pencil through the attached loops. It is unmarked but the pencil is stamped, in gold, "A W Faber No 2". The top of the pencil has a bone mount, which once would have had a small finial but this has disappeared. Overall it is in very, very good condition. There is what appears to be a small scorch mark on the lower right of one cover-it can be seen in the photos. The length is 86 mm (just under 3.5 inches), the width is 52 mm (2 inches) and it is 8 mm (3/8th inch) thick. C1860.