Rare 19th Century French Risqué Erotica Brass & Enamel Vesta Case from Play Sapho

A very rare collectable late 19th Century French brass and enamel Risqué Erotica vesta case featuring the famous play Sapho. A late 19th century French brass and enamel vesta case c1884 of rectangular form, enamelled on all surfaces including the base with an image of a classical garden. To the front an image of the actress playing "Sapho", the sides decorated with flowers and mountains on a pale blue ground. White enamel interior. Striker to the side. Sapho was a 1900 American play by Clyde Fitch, based on an 1884 French novel of the same name by Alphonse Daudet and an 1885 play by Daudet and Adolphe Belot. It was at the center of a sensational New York City indecency trial involving the play's star and producer/director, Olga Nethersole. The play was not an exceptional success but the incident is considered a notable step in the transformation of American society's attitudes regarding gender roles and public depictions of sex in the 20th century. Unmarked, French c1884