Huntley & Palmers (British, 1822-1972)
Easel Biscuit Tin, c. 1914
Sir Henry Raeburn’s ‘Boy and Rabbit’
Jean-Baptiste Greuze’s ‘The Milkmaid’
5 1/2″ long x 8 1/4″ high x 4″ wide
Summary: Rare and extremely desirably Huntley * Palmers (British, 1822-1972) biscuit tin, c. 1914. In the form of an easel it displays a fine chromo-lithograph of two famous oil paintings, Sir Henry Raeburn’s Boy and Rabbit of 1814 on one side and Jean-Baptiste Greuze’s The Milkmaid, on the other. The sides, top, legs, and “handle” are all chromo-lithographed with realistic faux-drapery and faux-wood decor.
Manufacture Bio: “Huntley & Palmers was a British firm of biscuit makers originally based in Reading, Berkshire. The company created one of the worlds first global brands and ran what was once the world’s largest biscuit factory… Another important part of their success was their ability to send biscuits all over the world, perfectly preserved in locally produced, elaborately decorated, and highly collectible biscuit tins. The tins proved to be a powerful marketing tool, and under their easily recognizable image Huntley & Palmers biscuits came to symbolize the commercial power and reach of the British Empire in the same way that Coca-Cola did for the United States. The tins found their way as far abroad as the heart of Africa and the mountains of Tibet; the company even provided biscuits to Captain Scott during his 1910 expedition to the South Pole. During the First World War they produced biscuits for the war effort and devoted their tin-making resources to making cases of artillery shells.”
