"J. Palmer's Royal Patent Wax Vesta Match"
Medium
containers
Classification
containers
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Stephen W. Brener and Carol B. Brener
Accession Number
1980-14-1309
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Step into the Smithsonian American Art Museum and discover *J. Palmer's Royal Wax Vesta Match*, captivating container crafted by Alexander S. St in 1848. This functional yet elegant object, classified among our containers and generously gifted by Stephen W.ener and Carol B.ener, embodies the fusion of utility and design from mid-19th-century America. The mid-1800s marked a revolution in everyday fire-starting, with wax vesta matches—slender tapers tipped for safe ignition—gaining popularity as safer alternatives to volatile lucifer matches. J. Palmer's "Royal Patent" version suggested prestig...