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.
Domesticated chickens are believed to be a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl and in 2003 there was a world population of over 24 billion domestic birds, meaning that there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird.
Domesticated chickens are believed to be a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl and in 2003 there was a world population of over 24 billion domestic birds, meaning that there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Offset printed paper |
Brief description | Matchbox label for ‘Twins’ matches, Sattur, India, 20th century |
Physical description | Matchbox label for ‘Twins’ matches. The central image depicts two yellow chicks with black detail perching in half an eggshell, on a pale blue ground. They appear to have recently hatched shown by the pieces of eggshell below the chicks. At the top of the design is a red curved banner with the word ‘Twins’ in white, whilst at the bottom is a red panel with ‘New India Match Works Sattur’ in white. The whole design is enclosed within two thin black borders. |
Dimensions |
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Content description | Matchbox label depicting two chicks |
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. Domesticated chickens are believed to be a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl and in 2003 there was a world population of over 24 billion domestic birds, meaning that there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird. |
Collection | |
Accession number | IS.107-2012 |
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Record created | January 8, 2013 |
Record URL |
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