Well Read. . . or Well Fed?

At first glance this appears to be a fine collection of beautifully bound books with marbled paper edges, held together with a leather strap. The books are all classics of literature, suggesting someone who is well read. . . .

But the books are actually a box, meant to feed the body, not the mind!

The box is a biscuit tin by the English company of Huntley & Palmers, In 1822 in Reading, Joseph Huntley opened a small bakery and confectionary. The shop was opposite a coach stop and passengers often sought biscuits (what we in the United States would call cookies) to nibble on their journey. To help the biscuits survive the rough jostling of the coaches, Huntley came up with the innovation of packaging the biscuits in a metal or tin box. Huntley passed on the business to his son, who in 1841 was joined by George Palmer. The firm thrived and by 1900 was the world's largest maker of biscuits, producing over 400 different varieties. They exported biscuits throughout the world, securely packed in decorative tins. In fact, the company's imaginative, colorful, and collectible biscuit tins significantly contributed to the firm's popularity and success. 

In 1900, Huntley & Palmers introduced "Library," a biscuit tin in the shape of eight books held together with a buckled strap. The book tin was so popular that the company created 10 versions, each with a different set of books, through 1924. We think this tin may date from 1904.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

 

Wonderful Weaving

This charming folk tapestry has a lot of history woven into its defy and warp. It was created by a Polish artisan and sold through a famous Scandinavian design atelier.

As the first label indicates, the tapestry was sold through Broste Copenhagen of Denmark. Established in 1955, Broste is renown for its Nordic-influenced home and interior furnishings that combine Scandinavian simplicity with fine craftsmanship and materials. 

The history of the weaving begins during the Nazi occupation of Poland. Although the Germans commandeered all wool supplies, Stefan and Helena Galkowski, who had studied under Eleanors Plutynska, a skilled weaver at the Warsaw Fine Arts Academy, secretly continued their art, using thick, hand-spun yarn colored with natural plant dyes. Following the war, the Polish government created the Center of Folk and Artistic Industry (Cepelia) to preserve Polish arts and craft, encouraging artisans to create both traditional folkloric designs as well as more modern artistic interpretations. Cepelia offered these artworks through a network of retail outlets, where they were purchased not only by tourists as souvenirs, but by Polish citizens as symbols of pride in their heritage.

The second label states that this tapestry was created by "A. Lewinska."  Aleksandra Lewinska had also been a student of Plutynska at the Warsaw Arts Academy and most of her works date from the midcentury modern era. The title of the work is "Gubałówka," the name of both a mountain range and a mountain range near the Polish town of Zakopane. Gubałówka mountain has long been a popular tourist destination.

 All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

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