In 1822, Joseph Huntley opened a biscuit and confectionery shop in Reading, Berkshire, an important stop along the stagecoach route between London and the West of England. Huntley's shop was across from the town's major inn and his customers were the travelers who lodged there for the night. In order to protect his biscuits from being crushed, he packed them in metal tins. His son, also named Joseph, opened a factory for producing the tins. Before long, the idea was hatched: why not make the tins beautiful and collectible—making them a significant part of the consumer experience?
As Huntley approached retirement in 1841, George Palmer joined the company. Under his leadership, the company grew enormously—becoming one of the world's first global brands. By 1900, the company had 5,000 employees and Huntley & Palmers biscuits (and their collectible tins) were being exported to 172 different countries. Huntley & Palmer was an icon of the dominance of British Commerce. And, because of the scale of their mass production, Huntley & Palmer enjoyed low production costs—resulting in a desirable, quality product sold at a reasonable price. And the company's unceasing innovation of charming, colorful tins always provided customers a reason to buy more biscuits.
Huntley & Palmers became the biscuit makers to the British Royal Family—and received royal warrants from Napoleon III of France as well as Leopold II of Belgium. Huntley & Palmers supplied biscuits for Robert Scott's 1910 expedition to the South Pole. And, during World War One, they made biscuits to be sent to British troops abroad. Huntley & Palmers even converted some of their production line to produce artillery shells for the war effort.
The biscuit tin shown above, made in 1934, was inspired by an Eighteenth Century Royal Worcester "Oriental" porcelain vase. Of course, the British vases were inspired by the supremely expensive Chinese vases which were highly fashionable, yet, only the very wealthiest Westerners could afford. The Bird-of-Paradise panels—reminiscent of the Orientalist wall decorations in fancy manor houses—were printed on the metal using offset lithography. Such printing was developed in England, by Robert Barclay, in 1875. The process involved a printing plate (which held the image) which was transferred to a rubber roller and then applied to the metal sheeting. The metal was then cut and assembled into the desired shape tin.
Huntley & Palmers tins have always been collectible. And their seemingly endless variety of shapes, colors and aesthetics make them desirable today. Not only are the tins beautiful, but they are functional for holding or storing something of value. The tin shown here is also within the collection of the Reading Museum—in the town which gave birth to Huntley & Palmers.
Click on the photo above to learn more about this special biscuit tin.
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