I’ve been meaning to post these two small items for ages. They came to us with the assorted collection of Daphne Padden design materials which we got earlier this year, but what with them not being flat and all, I’ve only just got round to photographing them.
They’re both designs for Marks and Spencers. This first one was I think a working design.
Although the main image on the pot is printed, there’s a small piece of paper stuck on the back which says 5 ¼oz (150g). Perhaps it’s the start of metric weights requiring a small redesign.
The second is very much the finished article though. It’s a tin, although I can’t say for certain what it ever had in inside, because all it says on the bottom is Marks and Spencers. Most likely tea though.
I particularly love the way that some of the staff are looking out at us as they do their rounds.
The Marks and Spencer archive (which will be opening in a spanking new building in Leeds next year) must have tons more of this kind of thing. Although the company has used some of it recently (if you go into its store cafes, there are large wall panels with a montage of old packaging images, but they’re all cropped and so a bit frustrating),
I think they could do more, like give some of their packaging the Sainsburys treatment. I’d buy it, anyway.
And a final point, my local library is fantastic. In the course of writing this, I thought I’d could do worse than look at the Marks In Time book that came out in 2009. So I ordered it online. Before I’d finished this piece, the email had come through saying that it was waiting for me whenever I wanted to come and get it. Who needs Amazon when you’ve got libraries that good.
Great to see more pieces about Daphne Padden. I can always count of you QR to come up with the interesting goods 😉 This was my version http://wp.me/pY4YW-kE
Glad you liked it. I could happily write pieces about Daphne Padden until the cows come home; it’s not just that her work is great, which it is, but also the wide scope it covers. So if anyone has any unseen bits by her, do let me know!
My Nan used to have this butlers and maids tea tin. She passed away many years ago and the tin was lost in the midst of time. Many years later, I stumbled across the same tin in a charity shop . Best 50p I ever spent in my life!! Still have the tin as it brings back so many happy memories . Will never part with it . Do you have any idea when this tin was produced ? Regards, Colin.