Page 769 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

Complete with its original box, this circa
1900-1910 dressing table set is typical of the
boxed presentation items that formed a core
part of the inventory at the Tuck Chang
establishment. With the considerable
international resident community in
Shanghai, there was a particular steady
trade in “souvenir” items by foreigners
returning home after a prolonged stay in the
city.

To have something that could be used daily
and was so indubitably Chinese-looking [to
a Westerner] was a big attraction, especially
for women whose lifestyles in Shanghai
were luxurious compared with the lifestyle
they were probably returning to.