Title: Swan Vestas, The Smoker's Match
Medium: Oil On Board
Framed Size: 40cm x 36cm
P.O.A.
Swan Vestas is a brand of matches. Shorter than normal pocket matches, they are particularly popular with smokers and have long used the tagline "the smoker's match", although this has been replaced by the prefix "the original" on the current packaging.
The Swan brand began in 1883 when the Collard & Kendall match company in Bootle on Mersyside near Liverpool introduced 'Swan wax matches'. They were finally christened 'Swan Vestas' in 1906 when Diamond merged with Bryant & May and the company enthusiastically promoted the Swan brand. By the 1930s Swan Vests had become 'Britain's best selling match'.The brand is now owned by the Swedish Match company. In 1994, Bryant & May, in Liverpool, closed.
This match box brings back many fond memories of my Grandma & Grandad Jones. They had an open fire and my Grandad smoked a pipe. I can almost smell the coal and tabacco smoke. The box is fascinating to paint not just for its branding but all the different textures and the light and shadows it creates.
This painting is currently on loan at the Museum of Brands in my 'Brushstrokes to Brands' exhibition but will be available in 2024. For enquiries please call Steven: 07799113378 or CONTACT