Gift box

Classification(s):
Wood
Date: c.1966
Organisation: All Things Bright and Beautiful (English)
Dimensions:
400 × 210 mm (40 × 21 cm)
Medium: Cardboard
Object number: W550H
Place of Production:England
DescriptionDie cut box net, manufactured by All Things Bright and Beautiful. Manufactured in the UK. The gift box was designed by Clifford Richards, this design is called ‘Passion Flower’. The box is multi-coloured with an orange, yellow and pink design featuring hearts and ribbons of colour.

Richards designed this gift box in time for Christmas 1966 as part of a range of packaging produced by All Things Bright and Beautiful.

ProvenanceThis object was originally acquired from The Primavera Gallery, London.

This object was originally acquired for the Inner London Education Authority’s (ILEA) ‘Circulating Design Scheme’ collection.

The collection was instigated by the London Country Council (later the Greater London Council) and the Council of Industrial Design (COID). The collection’s original purpose was concerned with the teaching and dissemination of modern, ‘good design’.

The collection was established in 1951/52 as the ‘Experiment in Design Appreciation’, later renamed the ‘Circulating Design Scheme’.

The Circulating Design Scheme lent boxed showcases to London schools. The showcases contained handling objects, material samples and interpretation on a specific subject.

COID withdrew its involvement in the Scheme in 1957. After which time, it was managed exclusively by the London County Council from 1957-1963.

After the administrative restructuring of London authorities, the Scheme was jointly managed by the Greater London Council and the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) from 1963 – 1976.

The Scheme was operational until 1976 when the collections were withdrawn from circulation. ILEA was abolished in the late 1980s and the collection was donated to Camberwell College of Arts in 1989/90.

ILEA was responsible for secondary and tertiary education in the inner London boroughs, this included Camberwell.

NotesThis object was circulated to London schools as part of the Inner London Education Authority’s (I.L.E.A) Circulating Design Scheme, which operated from 1951-1976. The cardboard gift box featured in the 'Pop, Folk, Modern' group in case number 1. The boxed showcase introduced the pop art movement and described how it influenced British culture. It also introduced folk art, describing it as the output of “ordinary folk who had not been trained as professional artists”. This object was originally acquired from The Primavera Gallery, London. The design name is wrongly labelled as 'Darling' in the interpretation on the display box. This design is correctly identified on The Museums System as 'Passion Flower'. The associated record card indicates that the boxed showcase was in use from 1968-76. Original photograph of boxed showcase copyright Harold King (Photography) Ltd, Morden, Surrey.

This object was originally acquired from The Primavera Gallery, London.