Dark Scottie & Light Scottie Dogs Brooch Antique Galalith Early Plastic Jewelry: Playful authentic Lightweight Pin Two Scotties on Cream-Colored Frame

This little antique or vintage plastic brooch depicts two Scottish terrier dogs standing nose-to-nose in front of a rectangular ivory-colored frame. Assembled from three pieces, the left dog is made of semi-translucent dark brown plastic, the right-hand dog is made of opaque white plastic, and the frame is made of cream-colored plastic. The brown plastic dog has silver-painted highlights on its fur, while the white plastic dog has dark brown paint rubbed into its fur, leaving it mostly brown with white highlights. The brooch's fastener is a hinged pin with a simple C-hook. The pin's tip extends slightly beyond the edge of the brooch.

Size: this brooch measures about 1 by 2 inches.

Materials: the plastic material appears to be galalith, one of the earliest plastics, invented in 1897. Galalith was manufactured from casein derived from cow's milk. After shaping, the casein was dried and treated with formaldehyde, which gave it permanence and hardness. While the putty-like casein precursor is said to not have been moldable, this is taken to mean in a modern injection molding sense. Research suggests that small galalith objects could be made by pressing the casein into open (one-sided) molds. The three plastic components of this brooch were made by such open molding. The slight shape distortion of the rectangular frame element due to shrinkage would also have been consistent with galalith. In addition, galalith was made in a variety of colors, both translucent and opaque.
The pin, hinge, and C-hook are made of silver-toned base metal.

Marks: no identifying marks are present.

Age: the hinged pin, extending beyond the edge of the brooch, with a simple C-hook catch, is a characteristic fastener of late-19th—early-20th century brooches. This brooch is estimated to date to the 1910s.

Condition: this unique brooch is in good antique condition, with moderate wear, and age-induced darkening of the frame, mostly on the back. There are no cracks or crazing. The slight shape distortion of the frame element can be attributed to shrinkage over time of the galalith plastic material, and does not present any structural problems.

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