Matchbox Label
20th century (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Indian matchbox covers form part of India’s vibrant popular visual culture. These small boxes, sold for a few pence, are bold and colourful, some simple and naïve, others more complex and detailed. The images range from gods and goddesses, women, flowers, fruits, monuments, transport, tools, consumer goods and more. Successful covers are continuously copied and there can be endless variations of one particular image produced by rival companies. Many covers have a ‘retro’ feel about them because of this copying process, this also makes them difficult to date. Despite their ephemeral nature, they can convey historical, political and social information. Matchbox art dates back to the 1920s when India began producing its own matches from factories in Calcutta in Bengal and Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu. Prior to this, matches were imported from Europe, mainly Sweden, and Japan. Early images reflect themes of nationalism while more recent images include planes, motorcycles and trucks.
‘Roja’ is rose in Tamil. Flowers are commonly used in Hindu rituals with the lotus, the national flower of India, particularly prized. Roses are used in celebrations, particularly birthdays and weddings, with red roses especially popular for the latter, symbolising passionate love.
‘Roja’ is rose in Tamil. Flowers are commonly used in Hindu rituals with the lotus, the national flower of India, particularly prized. Roses are used in celebrations, particularly birthdays and weddings, with red roses especially popular for the latter, symbolising passionate love.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Offset printed paper |
Brief description | Matchbox label for ‘Super A-1 Roja Safety Matches’, Sattur, India, 20th century |
Physical description | Matchbox label for ‘Super A-1 Roja Safety Matches’. The central image depicts two pink and red roses with green leaves, the lower one larger, on a yellow ground. In the top right hand corner are the words ‘Super’ in green, and ‘A-1 Roja Safety Matches’ in black, ‘50’s Price 25 Ps’ (paise) in green and overprinted in black with ‘50’s Price 15 Ps’ (paise) on the left hand side, and ‘Nagammal Matches, Sattur’ in black at the bottom. The whole design is enclosed within a thin black border. |
Dimensions |
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Content description | Matchbox label depicting roses |
Subject depicted | |
Summary | Indian matchbox covers form part of India’s vibrant popular visual culture. These small boxes, sold for a few pence, are bold and colourful, some simple and naïve, others more complex and detailed. The images range from gods and goddesses, women, flowers, fruits, monuments, transport, tools, consumer goods and more. Successful covers are continuously copied and there can be endless variations of one particular image produced by rival companies. Many covers have a ‘retro’ feel about them because of this copying process, this also makes them difficult to date. Despite their ephemeral nature, they can convey historical, political and social information. Matchbox art dates back to the 1920s when India began producing its own matches from factories in Calcutta in Bengal and Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu. Prior to this, matches were imported from Europe, mainly Sweden, and Japan. Early images reflect themes of nationalism while more recent images include planes, motorcycles and trucks. ‘Roja’ is rose in Tamil. Flowers are commonly used in Hindu rituals with the lotus, the national flower of India, particularly prized. Roses are used in celebrations, particularly birthdays and weddings, with red roses especially popular for the latter, symbolising passionate love. |
Collection | |
Accession number | IS.125-2012 |
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Record created | January 8, 2013 |
Record URL |
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