We don’t have an image of this object online yet. V&A Images may have a photograph that we can’t show online, but it may be possible to supply one to you. Email us at vaimages@vam.ac.uk for guidance about fees and timescales, quoting the accession number: E.883-2000
Find out about our images

Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C , Case GG, Shelf 256

Greetings Card

1960-1980 (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

For almost forty years from the 1960s until the partnership was wound up in 1996 graphic designer Colin Banks of the design consultancy Banks & Miles produced an unusual corporate Christmas card to send to clients and friends. It consisted of a cardboard or metal cylindrical "Christmas pot" wrapped in a printed paper sleeve designed by Banks and containing some festive or whimsical contents (sweets, a phone card, a length of "red tape") appropriately or humorously tying in with the design on the sleeve. Conceptually, Banks's seasonal multiples anticipate by almost two decades, though in a graphic design rather than "fine art" idiom, the art handling company MOMART's famous commissioning of contemporary artists to devise its own Christmas multiple which is also collected by the V&A.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Cardboard, lithography on paper, plastic
Brief description
Christmas multiple designed by Colin Banks for Banks & Miles.
Physical description
Cardboard tube with plastic lid and paper sleeve printed with lettering in the style of Liquorice Allsorts sweets on a white ground. The tube originally contained some of the sweets in a white paper bag wrapped in crumpled black tissue paper.
Dimensions
  • Height: 13.7cm
  • Diameter: 7.8cm
Production typeLimited edition
Marks and inscriptions
  • BANKS / AND / MILES / BANKS / AND / MILES / BANKS / AND / MILES / BANKS / AND / MILES (Lettered in black, brown, blue, pink, orange and yellow as part of the design.)
  • Allsorts of / seasonal greetings from / Banks & Miles / 1 Tranquil Vale, Blackheath / London SE3 0BU / Telephone 01-318 1131 (Lettered in black within the design.)
  • Allsorts of / seasonal greetings from / Banks and Miles / Buiten Brouwersstraat 12 / Amsterdam / Telephone 010 31 20 254093 (Lettered in black within the design.)
Credit line
Given by Colin Banks
Summary
For almost forty years from the 1960s until the partnership was wound up in 1996 graphic designer Colin Banks of the design consultancy Banks & Miles produced an unusual corporate Christmas card to send to clients and friends. It consisted of a cardboard or metal cylindrical "Christmas pot" wrapped in a printed paper sleeve designed by Banks and containing some festive or whimsical contents (sweets, a phone card, a length of "red tape") appropriately or humorously tying in with the design on the sleeve. Conceptually, Banks's seasonal multiples anticipate by almost two decades, though in a graphic design rather than "fine art" idiom, the art handling company MOMART's famous commissioning of contemporary artists to devise its own Christmas multiple which is also collected by the V&A.
Collection
Accession number
E.883-2000

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdMarch 25, 2009
Record URL
Download as: JSON