Imagined coastal dressing room before departure.

Leuchars London

Grooming Accessories

The pleasure of a familiar ritual.

Discover more

The object in the hand.

A brush, a mirror or a small implement is experienced through repeated use. Proportion, weight and the finish of the working surfaces give these personal objects their character.

Historic ivory-backed grooming brush with natural bristles and a crowned monogram, photographed by Livrustkammaren.
Historical museum object. Livrustkammaren/SHM, CC BY 4.0. Object 12392_LRK.

From the Archive / A closer look

A brush. A name.
A personal mark.

One surviving brush brings use and personal identity into the same small object.

Livrustkammaren dates this brush to 1877–1878 and records it as part of a travelling service used by Crown Prince Gustaf. The catalogue describes ivory and natural bristles, a crowned monogram and the stamp LEUCHARS & SON LONDON.

Read these as different details: the bristles belong to its function, the monogram to its owner, and the stamped name to its attribution. The museum record anchors the study of this particular object.

Length
172 mm
Museum date
1877–1878
Collection
Livrustkammaren
Explore the travelling service
Original rectangular glass jar with a hinged silver-gilt cover bearing Crown Prince Gustaf’s crowned monogram.
Glass and silver-gilt jar from Crown Prince Gustaf’s travelling service, dated 1878. Livrustkammaren/SHM, CC BY 4.0.

Materials in the hand

A cover lifts.
A different gesture.

Where a brush is held and drawn, a jar is opened and closed. Thick glass and a hinged silver-gilt cover give this object its own weight, surface and movement.

The crowned monogram connects it to the same travelling service as the brush. The related pieces survive in the museum record; the complete original arrangement remains unestablished.

Explore the related objects

From object to ensemble

A place of its own.

Detail of an open Leuchars travelling case with blue-velvet compartments and removable pads, in Livrustkammaren.
Interior detail cropped from the museum photograph. Livrustkammaren/SHM, CC BY 4.0. The complete original arrangement remains unestablished. See the complete object and record.

Blue velvet divides the interior into places to hold and protect. Follow the edges of the compartments and the removable pads: the arrangement begins with the space around an object.

Surviving fittings offer clues, while differences between components may indicate replacements or additions. Read the individual object before assuming a complete set.

Inside the grooming case

The campaign opening is an imagined scene within the Leuchars world. Historical objects and their sources are identified in the Archive. Availability, materials and condition of any offered piece are stated in its individual description.

Look closer

A particular object.
A personal question.

For an enquiry about a case, an object or a mark, begin with the details you can see.