'A Gentleman in Kharki' and 'The Absent Minded Beggar' match holder.
A round ceramic holder for wax matches with a transfer after Caton-Woodville's painting 'A Gentle in Khaki on one side and verses from Kipling' poems 'An Absent Minded Beggar' on the other separated by advertisements for Ussher's whisky.
85 mm in diameter and 65 mm tall.
A match holder for wax matches. The matches were held in the hole in the top and a match could be struck on the side of the vesta.
This vesta shows little sign if any of wear indicating it was not much used for its intended purpose and was probably bought as a souvenir.
Kipling wrote the poem 'An Absent Minded Beggar' in 1899 as his contribution to the Daily Mail appeal to raise money to aid soldiers British soldiers fighting in South Africa and their families. A wave of patriotism was sweeping the country at the time which was catered to by jingoistic newspapers such as the Daily Mail. The poem was set to music by Sir Arthur Sullivan. Richard Caton Woodville's painting 'A Gentleman in Khaki' was inspired by Kipling's poem and together they were used to decorate a whole range of products and souvenirs which were produced and sold. The fund was an unprecedented success and raised more than £250,000 an enormous sum for the time.
Oosthuizen (Pieter) Boer War Memorabilia, page 21.
Maker: Raphael Tucks sons, London, circa 1900.
- Sold By: Clarke's Africana & Rare Books
- Contact Person: Paul Mills
- Country: South Africa
- Email: [email protected]
- Telephone: 021 794 0600
- Preferred Payment Methods: Visa & Mastercard via PayGate secure links and Bank transfers.
- Trade Associations: ABA - ILAB, SABDA
