C. 1901 Huntley & Palmers Hidden Book Box Lithograph Tin

Description

An antique tole, tin lithograph hidden book box biscuit tin by Huntley and Palmers, 1901, Reading, England. The tab on … more An antique tole, tin lithograph hidden book box biscuit tin by Huntley and Palmers, 1901, Reading, England. The tab on the top lifts up to pull up the lid with a hidden hinge at the back. Marbled "end papers"; bound by a book strap. The books are: History of England, Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan, Burns, Pickwick Papers by Dickens, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, Self Help, and Shakespeare. The exact tin is in the Victorian & Albert Museum:

Physical description
Biscuit tin, offset litho printed, embossed, in the form of eight books with simulated tooled leather bindings and marbled end papers, bound by a strap.

Place of Origin
Reading (probably, made)

Date
1901 (made)

Artist/maker
Huntley & Palmers (made for)
Huntley, Boorne & Stevens (made by)

Materials and Techniques
Offset litho printed tinplate, embossed.

Dimensions
Height: 16 cm, Width: 16 cm, Depth: 12 cm

Object history note
M.J. Franklin Collection of British Biscuit Tins.

Historical context note
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. This development is first credited to Owen Jones who was a consultant designer to the stationary printers, Thomas de la Rue. He designed the first biscuit tin, transfer-printed and issued in 1868 for the firm of Huntley & Palmers. Other firms were quick to respond and a whole new industry was born. The new process of offset lithography, patented in 1877 allowed multicoloured designs to be printed on to exotically shaped tins.

The most exotic designs were produced in the early years of this 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.
[Eric Turner, 'British Design at Home', p.126]

Descriptive line
Biscuit tin, `Literature', offset litho printed tinplate, embossed, Reading, made for Huntley & Palmers, 1901.

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Michael Franklin, British Biscuit Tins, London, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1984, ISBN. 0905209621

Labels and date
'LITERATURE', 1901
Made for Huntley & Palmers.
Museum No. M.290-1983

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