1930s Art Deco Style Bellhop antique hand-painted tin one can just feel these

one can just feel these things

it's hollow on the interior so that the ends of whatever it's holding can slip down inside

The glaze is a pretty blue with just a hint of green in it

but I think it is the combination of carefully hand-carved shape (with carve marks visible)

There are small nubs on opposite sides of the vessel to which a handle likely once was attached

1930s Art Deco Style Bellhop antique hand-painted tin one can just feel theseThough I didn't know it when I found him, I've since learned that this bellhop was produced in conjunction with a Philip Morris cigarette advertising campaign launched in 1933, and would once have carried either a bundle of cigarettes in one hand and a book of matches in the other (or else a cruet set; there were a couple of different versions produced, and I believe they were often displayed on hotel bars.) His baggage is long since gone, leaving his