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Carnival crackers

Print
ca. 1900-1950 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This Christmas cracker label by Batger’s & Co is probably from 1920s or 1930s. The V&A collection includes a series of cracker labels by the firm, established in 1748. This label is an interesting example of packaging design; it uses an image of a glamorous girl to sell a product, a motif often seen in commercial visuals.
This label illustrates the changing styles of commercial design and packaging formats over the years.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleCarnival crackers (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Printed label
Brief description
A Christmas cracker label showing a girl carrying presents and Christmas crackers, produced by Batger's & Company, about 1900-1950
Physical description
A print showing a smiling girl carrying Christmas presents and a box of crackers, wearing a hat and a floaty dress.
Dimensions
  • Height: 24.7cm
  • Width: 24.7cm
Marks and inscriptions
Carnival crackers Printed in England
Gallery label
(11/09/2017)
Batger & Company, originally a sugar refiner and maker of confectionary, diversified into making crackers (which were originally designed to contain sweets) in the 1870s. Nowadays we associate crackers with Christmas, but in the 19th and early 20th century novelty crackers were produced for all kinds of celebrations and often had topical themes.
Credit line
Purchased through the Julie and Robert Breckman Print Fund
Subjects depicted
Summary
This Christmas cracker label by Batger’s & Co is probably from 1920s or 1930s. The V&A collection includes a series of cracker labels by the firm, established in 1748. This label is an interesting example of packaging design; it uses an image of a glamorous girl to sell a product, a motif often seen in commercial visuals.
This label illustrates the changing styles of commercial design and packaging formats over the years.
Associated objects
Collection
Accession number
E.1042-2003

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Record createdMay 26, 2004
Record URL
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