Antique Match Holders
Match
holders, also known as match safes or vesta cases, date to the mid-19th century,
when friction matches were first introduced. While a boon to cigar-puffing fat
cats and homemakers alike, early friction matches, which were also called Vestas and Lucifers, almost did their job too well, sometimes bursting into
flame in a user’s pocket. Match Safes keep these hair-trigger fire sticks from
rubbing together and combusting prematurely.
The golden age of match safes was around 1870 until the 1930s, when matchbooks and cigarette lighters obviated the need for most match holders.
At home, wall and tabletop match safes were used, primarily by women for
domestic uses such as lighting a stove. In fact, stove manufacturers often made cast-iron match holders, which
were mounted to a wall in the kitchen to
keep the matches handy. Other wall-mounted match safes were made of tin and
featured lithographed advertisements for
everything from soda pop to whiskey to sliced bread.
In the late 1800s, men carried match safes in their coat pockets. These accessories were often
more ornately decorated than their pocket watches or their wives’ jewelry. Many were made of sterling silver, embossed or engraved with images of
people smoking or abstract patterns resembling smoke. Others were wrought of
gold and inlaid with enamel scenes or decorations, and a few match safes were
carved from antler or ivory.
By the turn of the century, it was becoming more permissible for women
to smoke in public, so match safes designed for this expanding new market came
to the fore. The New York jeweler Tiffany
& Company sold sterling silver match safes accented with copper and brass and
decorated in the Art Nouveau style. Gorham, Bristol, and Whiting are among
the many American silver manufacturers that produced match safes, while Cartier
and Fabergé exported their products from overseas.
Beyond rectangles and ovals, whose lengths conformed nicely to the
shapes of friction matches, match safes were made in the shapes of animals, shoes, boots, and even body parts, resembling charms on a bracelet. Other match safes were treated like canvases for tiny sporting, rural,
or city scenes, rendered in warm, inviting enamels.
One category of matchsafes that also appeals to those who collect Asian
antiques includes pieces in copper, lacquered metal, and brass that were made in China and Japan. These handsome objects were decorated with dragons, buddhas, and geishas, as well as bamboo foliage and other nature
motifs.
Perhaps the most prevalent of all match safes were those used to carry
advertising or commemorate a noteworthy event. Match Safes invited their holders
to use certain lawn mowers, wear particular brands of hats, and drink this or that brand of tea. Naturally many promoted cigars
and cigarettes, as well as international expositions and world’s fairs.
Bisque head match holder
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