Vacuum Jug thumbnail 1
Not on display

Vacuum Jug

1934-1939 (manufactured)
Artist/Maker
Thermos Ltd. (manufacturers)
Place of origin
Tottenham (manufactured)

Vacuum jug, black Bakelite with stainless steel handle, glass lining and aluminium base plate. The flask has a round base, rising into a twelve-sided fluted body which constricts at the neck. Above this is a jug-type lip and a slightly flared rim. The handle rises from near the base and drops at an angle to the shoulder. The screw-in stopper is a flattened knob, with a cork bung fixed to it with a screw.

Object details

Categories
Plastic
Containers
Food Vessels & Tableware
Object type
Vacuum jug
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Vacuum Jug Body
  • Vacuum Jug Stopper
Materials and techniques
Compression-moulded Bakelite; stainless steel, glass, aluminium
Bakelite
Phenolic
Stainless Steel
Glass
Aluminium
Compression Moulding
Brief description
Vacuum jug; Thermos; black Bakelite, England, about 1934-1939
Physical description
Vacuum jug, black Bakelite with stainless steel handle, glass lining and aluminium base plate. The flask has a round base, rising into a twelve-sided fluted body which constricts at the neck. Above this is a jug-type lip and a slightly flared rim. The handle rises from near the base and drops at an angle to the shoulder. The screw-in stopper is a flattened knob, with a cork bung fixed to it with a screw.
Dimensions
  • Height: 25.2cm
  • Width: 13.6cm (including handle)
Style
Art Deco
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
'THERMOS (1925) LIMITED - LONDON / No 24 JUG - THIS TAKES REFILL / PAT No. 327838' (On base)
Gallery label
'42. Vacuum Jug and 'Thermosquare' Vacuum Flask
Jug: around 1932; Flask: around 1936
Made by Thermos Ltd., England
Jug: phenol formaldehyde ('bakelite') with nickel-plated handle; Flask: urea formaldehyde
C.47&A-1984 and C.92 to B-1985

The vacuum jug was described in advertisements as 'a delightful gift for any home' and the flask as 'a beautiful piece of tableware...distinct from "picnic" models.'. A table jug equivalent of the Thermos flask, designed for use at home, was available from as early as 1909 although the first plastic-cased jugs were produced in 1930.'
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).
Bibliographic references
  • plate 24, p.5 Beetle Bulletin Guide to Plastics Antiques
  • p.141 Sylvia Katz, Plastics (London, 1978)
Collection
Ceramics Collection
Accession number
C.47-1984

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O308734/vacuum-jug-thermos-ltd/
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