Basket
Needle Case
Design Representation
Design Details
Needle Case Type: |
Figural |
Patent/Registered to: |
Charles James Carr - Liverpool |
Patent/Design Representation #: |
Ornamental Class 1 – Metal: #312625 (Provisional Design #1338 registered October 6, 1876) |
Patent/Design Registration Date: |
August 3, 1877 |
Location of Patent/Design Registration: |
The National Archives (TNA) - Kew, UK |
Reference #: |
TNA Representation - BT 43/42/312625
TNA Register - BT 44/4/312525 |
Dimensions: |
6.1 x 4 x 5 |
Material: |
Brass |
Name Variations: |
Wm. Hall & Co - Studley |
Other Variations: |
None |
Additional Photographs
Top open and interior (photographs courtesy of Bunny's Place)
Bottom and signature detail
Facts
A picnic basket is a container used to carry food, dishes and eating utensils to a picnic or meal that is served outdoors, usually on the
ground, for a group of family or friends. They come in many different shapes and sizes depending upon the number of people and amount
of food involved. Large wicker baskets, like the Victorian one pictured above, included sections for dishes, silverware, drinking vessels
and containers to hold food. Woven baskets that resembled trunks where often used because they were light weight and sturdy which is
probably the origin of the name “picnic hamper”. Today picnics are often simple affairs with food spread out on the red and white
checkerboard cloth like the one shown below.
History
Although the word picnic didn’t come into common use until 1740, picnics date back to at least the Middle Ages where they were the feasts
held at the conclusion of a medieval hunt. They became more common in the 18th century among the wealthy or upper class and were often
depicted by artists. However picnics became all the rage in Victorian England partly because people wanted to emulate Queen Victoria who
frequently picnicked with her family on her many estates. Another reason for its popularity was the picnic provided a more informal way
to get together in a society that was heavily dominated by rules of etiquette. Middle class families like the ones pictured below enjoyed
a break in the countryside often accompanied by games of tag and croquet.
Miscellaneous
Picnicking was also popular throughout Europe during the Victorian Era. The French painter Edouard Manet was one of the first artists
to paint modern life and his most famous painting, completed in 1863, portrayed a picnic. Entitled “Luncheon on the Grass” it showed two
middle class men picnicking in a county setting seated next to a nude woman. At the time it was considered scandalous to place a classical
nude in a contemporary setting. The elite art world was horrified and Manet’s work was banned from most exhibitions. Today art
critics agree Manet was a key figure in the transition from classical to modern art and an inspiration for the other Impressionist artists who
painted primarily in the second half of the 19th century. Select the photo below to see a large picture of this artwork.
