General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

TIN MATCHBOX HOLDER MOUNTED ON CARDBOARD BACKING

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

14.7 cm

Width

6.8 cm

Height

24.9 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Lighting Technology

Category

Miscellaneous

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Unknown

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

MID 20TH CENTURY

Canada

IITEM FROM COLLECTION OF DENIS B. ALSFORD (1929-2004). BORN IN BRITAIN, MR. ALSFORD WORKED AT BRITISH MUSEUM UNTIL EMIGRATING TO CANADA IN 1968, BECOMING WELL KNOWN FIGURE IN CANADIAN MUSEUM COMMUNITY. HE WAS CURATOR OF COLLECTIONS FOR ETHNOLOGY DIVISION OF NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MAN IN OTTAWA FOR TWENTY YEARS, PLANNED ARTIFACT STORAGE FACILITY IN NEW MUSEUM OF CIVILISATION IN GATINEAU WHICH OPENED IN 1989, & WAS FELLOW OF CANADIAN MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION. HIS COLLECTION OF MATCH HOLDERS NUMBERED OVER ONE THOUSAND; HE WAS ACTIVE MEMBER OF INTERNATIONAL MATCH SAFE ASSOCIATION & AUTHORED SEVERAL BOOKS & ARTICLES ON SUBJECT (SEE BIOGRAPHY IN 2004.0024 SUPP. INFO.). SOUVENIR OF CANADIAN BEACH, PRESUMABLY ORCHARD BEACH ON LAKE SIMCOE, KESWICK, ON.

Function

CONTAINER FOR BOX OF MATCHES WHICH COULD BE USED TO LIGHT CANDLES & LAMPS, START FIRES IN STOVES & FIREPLACES FOR HEATIKING, FOR MELTING SEALING WAX FOR LETTERS, & FOR LIGHTING CIGARETTES, PIPES ETC. THIS TYPE WOULD BE MOUNTED ON WALL FOR HOUSEHOLD USE.

Technical

EXAMPLE OF WALL MOUNTED MATCH HOLDER LACKING STRIKER; ROUGH PAINT SURFACE WAS PROBABLY CAPABLE OF IGNITING NORMAL FRICTION MATCH. SIMILAR WALL MOUNTED PIECE (NOT IN COLLECTION) WITH SAME ILLUSTRATION OF TRAMP BUT WITH PIN CUSHION RATHER THAN MATCH HOLDER WAS MARKED WITH NAME & ADDRESS OF OTTAWA, ON, TAILOR . ADDRESS INDICATES IT WAS MADE BETWEEN C. 1946-1955 & TRAMP MATCH HOLDER PROBABLY DATES FROM SAME PERIOD OF C. 1950 (REF. 2).

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

GOLD LETTERING ON HOLDER READS "MATCHES" & "ORCHARD BEACH, ONT"/ BLACK LETTERING ON BACKING READS "GIVE ME THE OPEN ROAD/CWITH MATCHES IN MY PACK;/ ALL I NEED/ IS A LITTLE FEED,/ AND A FIRE TO WARM MY BACK."

Missing

COMPLETE

Finish

RED CRINKLE FINISH ON HOLDER/ MULTICOLOUREDBACK

Decoration

BACKING CUT OUT IN SHAPE OF TRAMP, WITH DRAWN IMAGE OF TRAMP