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Christmas Cake for Children
Cake Tin
1934 (made)
1934 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Historic objects depicting popular characters and pastimes sometimes show outdated and offensive imagery. Among the collection of biscuit tins is this cake tin depicting children's toys from the 1930s, one of which is a depiction of a 'gollywog'. The original golliwog was a central character in a series of books by Bertha and Florence Upton published between 1895 and 1909. Florence, the illustrator of the stories, based the golliwog on a doll she had acquired in the US in the 1880s. The appearance of this doll was influenced by the mocking 'Blackface' performance tradition. From the late 19th century until the 1960s, the golliwog was a popular toy. Its image featured on toys, games, textiles and ceramics and was also used by food companies. From the 1970s the golliwog's popularity waned as it became better understood how it promoted offensive racial stereotypes.
The British biscuit tin came about when the Licensed Grocer's Act of 1861 allowed groceries to be individually packaged and sold. Coinciding with the removal of the duty on paper for printed labels. It was only a short step to the idea of printing directly on to tinplate. The new process of offset lithography, patented in 1877 allowed multicoloured designs to be printed on to flamboyantly shaped tins.
The British biscuit tin came about when the Licensed Grocer's Act of 1861 allowed groceries to be individually packaged and sold. Coinciding with the removal of the duty on paper for printed labels. It was only a short step to the idea of printing directly on to tinplate. The new process of offset lithography, patented in 1877 allowed multicoloured designs to be printed on to flamboyantly shaped tins.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Offset litho printed tinplate |
| Brief description | Cake tin, `Christmas Cake For Children', offset litho printed tinplate, England, made for W.& R. Jacob & Co., 1934. |
| Physical description | Biscuit tin, offset litho printed tinplate, octagonal, with scenes of toy figures. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Mass produced |
| Credit line | Given by M. J. Franklin |
| Object history | From the M.J. Franklin Collection of British Biscuit Tins. Historic objects depicting popular characters and pastimes sometimes show outdated and offensive imagery. Among the collection of biscuit tins is this cake tin depicting children's toys from the 1930s, one of which is a depiction of a 'gollywog'. The original golliwog was a central character in a series of books by Bertha and Florence Upton published between 1895 and 1909. Florence, the illustrator of the stories, based the golliwog on a doll she had acquired in the US in the 1880s. The appearance of this doll was influenced by the mocking 'Blackface' performance tradition. From the late 19th century until the 1960s, the golliwog was a popular toy. Its image featured on toys, games, textiles and ceramics and was also used by food companies. From the 1970s the golliwog's popularity waned as it became better understood how it promoted offensive racial stereotypes. |
| Historical context | The British biscuit tin came about when the Licensed Grocer's Act of 1861 allowed groceries to be individually packaged and sold. Coinciding with the removal of the duty on paper for printed labels. It was only a short step to the idea of printing directly on to tinplate. The process of offset lithography, patented in 1877 allowed multicoloured designs to be printed on to a variety of shaped tins. The most flamboyant designs were produced in the early years of the 20th century, just prior to the First World War. In the 1920s and 1930s, costs had risen substantially and the design of biscuit tins tended to be more conservative, with the exception of the tins targeted at the Christmas market and intended to appeal primarily to children. The designs, generally speaking are a barometer of popular interests. The advent of the Second World War stopped all production of decorative tin ware and after it ended in 1945, the custom never really revived. |
| Summary | Historic objects depicting popular characters and pastimes sometimes show outdated and offensive imagery. Among the collection of biscuit tins is this cake tin depicting children's toys from the 1930s, one of which is a depiction of a 'gollywog'. The original golliwog was a central character in a series of books by Bertha and Florence Upton published between 1895 and 1909. Florence, the illustrator of the stories, based the golliwog on a doll she had acquired in the US in the 1880s. The appearance of this doll was influenced by the mocking 'Blackface' performance tradition. From the late 19th century until the 1960s, the golliwog was a popular toy. Its image featured on toys, games, textiles and ceramics and was also used by food companies. From the 1970s the golliwog's popularity waned as it became better understood how it promoted offensive racial stereotypes. The British biscuit tin came about when the Licensed Grocer's Act of 1861 allowed groceries to be individually packaged and sold. Coinciding with the removal of the duty on paper for printed labels. It was only a short step to the idea of printing directly on to tinplate. The new process of offset lithography, patented in 1877 allowed multicoloured designs to be printed on to flamboyantly shaped tins. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.482&A-1983 |
About this object record
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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