COLLECTION OF OVER 950 JAPANESE MATCHBOX AND MATCHBOOK COVERS (rinpyō 燐票)
19. Item #88881
[EPHEMERA - Matchbox and Matchbook Covers]. A COLLECTION OF OVER 950 JAPANESE MATCHBOX AND MATCHBOOK COVERS (rinpyō 燐票) from both the pre- and postwar period mounted in one album. The vast majority are clipped matchbox covers from the preWar era - cafe culture at its finest on display. Then there are some 72 matchboxes from the immediate postWar era squashed flat and slipped into the pockets of the album. These covers offer a dizzying display of Japanese graphic design in miniature. The designs are largely in the Deco design idiom and advertise everything from hotels, tea rooms, bars and restaurants, to barbershops, service stations, and factories. Not just To^kyo^, but also other towns and cities and resorts all over Japan. The designs are strong; the best of which give an impression of size despite their small scale.
Price: $875.00