Dague de pute, bodice dagger, garter dagger, you name it.
Perhaps at a certain stage they were the favourite defence weapon of 'ladies of uncertain bed', when working in the tumultuos ambience of gambling houses and cabarets ... easy to conceal and not large enough for a lethal blow.
I guess Ron's example is already a product more directed to the tourist market, with that gargoyle touch. Probably XX century.
Interesting how the base of the blade ('ricasso') follows the shape of those XIX examples.
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