Vivien Leigh's mother Gertrude Hartley, the original owner of this case, trained as a beautician in the 1930s. ...Part of her training involved studying the structure of bones, muscles and skin with a plastic surgeon in Paris... she opened an Academy of Beauty Culture on May 1st, 1934. ...It was to give her a life-long interest and prove the means of financial support for herself and Ernest [her husband]...Her academy had two purposes, the first to treat, the second to train students to practise her methods...she defined her philosophy of beauty: 'Wanting to look young is no foolish desire; it is every woman's duty to the world as well as to herself, to add to the beauty of it, and those that make the effort are the happier and more successful for it..'. Her daughter, Lady Olivier, became a director of the Academy.