Patch box with portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette

Despite its close resemblance to English enamel patch boxes, a crossed S mark on the inside of this box’s lid betrays its French origins. Made by Samson of Paris, a ceramics firm dedicated to producing convincing reproductions, this object was likely created in imitation of an early nineteenth-century Bilston patch box.


Lauded as a hero of the American Revolution, the Marquis de Lafayette was invited by President James Monroe on a triumphal tour of the United States from 1824 to 1825. A plethora of souvenirs bearing images of Lafayette—including jugs, plates, buttons, and fans—were produced to commemorate the occasion. Ary Scheffer’s portrait (Lafayette’s favorite depiction of himself) was the likeness most frequently reproduced on such memorabilia.


With mirrors inside their lids, these boxes could be used to store and apply cosmetic products like rouge, powder, or patches. Patches, available in a range of shapes and materials (such as silk, taffeta, or leather), were fashionable accessories for European men and women that could cover blemishes or scars and draw attention to pale skin.


Enameled objects like this one were intended to imitate the lustrous quality of porcelain at more affordable prices. By the middle of the eighteenth century, technological innovations had made it possible to roll copper, instead of the far costlier gold, into very thin sheets. Powdered glass mixed with minerals (to determine the opacity and color of the enamel) would then be applied onto the copper sheets and fired at high temperatures. A design—whether a famous portrait, generic pastoral scene, or floral motif— could be painted on by hand or copied from an engraving through the newly invented process of transfer printing. Many enameled objects combined both methods of decoration and would be refired after the application of each new layer or color.