Historical information

No specific information is available on this item. Household items made of ivory were common in the early 20th century and were often brought back to Australia from people returning from an overseas trip. Many of these types of items came from Asia. Letter openers are still is use today.

Significance

This item is of interest as an example of the use of ivory in household items early in the 20th century. This use of ivory is in the main illegal today.

Physical description

This is a letter opener made of ivory. It has a plain blade with a rounded highly decorated handle. The decoration consists mainly of punched holes in geometrical patterns. The top has a hole for hanging up the item. There is a small split in the ivory in the middle of the handle.