Jeanne Toussaint, appointed director of "haute joaillerie" at Cartier in 1933, adopted many motifs that are today inextricably linked with the famous House, the most salient being the panther. The ladybird came into high fashion with the naturalism of the 1950s and 60s. Toussaint's perpetual facility at foreseeing trends must have led her to integrate this simultaneously dainty and amusing motif into Cartier's designs. This gold and diamond vanity case is a lovely and elegant example of its incorporation.