Dressing-Table Box and Lid
late 1930s (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This moulded plastic box was designed in the 1930s, at a time when plastic technology and its use were vastly increasing. The material provided designers with exciting possibilities in terms of shape and colour, and was perfectly suited to the sharp lines and geometric shapes of Art Deco. In this instance, a marbled effect has been created by adding lead phosphate during the moulding process. In the Journal of the Royal Society of Arts (1943), John Gloag summed up what he saw as the attitude of many designers towards plastics in the words, 'these materials can do anything - let's do everything'.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Compression moulded cellulose acetate |
| Brief description | Dressing table box and lid; green marbled cellulose acetate; Halex Ltd.; UK, 1930s |
| Physical description | Hexagonal marbled green dressing-table box of compression-moulded cellulose acetate. The feet of the box and knob of the lid are made of three laminated layers of cellulose acetate (transparent green sandwiched between marbled green), glued separately to the box. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Mass produced |
| Object history | Fred Bulmer, a collector based in Leeds, Yorkshire, offered his collection of ‘plastic antiques’ to the V&A in late 1982. The Museum chose to purchase 59 objects from Bulmer the following year (for acquisition papers see MA/1/B3395). The objects were divided among the Museum’s collections according to object type: Furniture and Woodwork taking 26 objects (W.50 to 75-1983), Metalwork 18 objects (M.49 to 66-1984) and Ceramics and Glass 14 objects (C.41 to 54-1984). |
| Production | Attribution note: Designed in the 1930s and produced for many years. The marbled effect in this kind of box is achieved by adding lead phosphate while moulding. The knob on the lid and feet of the box are laminated constructions, glued separately to the box. |
| Summary | This moulded plastic box was designed in the 1930s, at a time when plastic technology and its use were vastly increasing. The material provided designers with exciting possibilities in terms of shape and colour, and was perfectly suited to the sharp lines and geometric shapes of Art Deco. In this instance, a marbled effect has been created by adding lead phosphate during the moulding process. In the Journal of the Royal Society of Arts (1943), John Gloag summed up what he saw as the attitude of many designers towards plastics in the words, 'these materials can do anything - let's do everything'. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.55&A-1983 |
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| Record created | April 10, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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