Advertising thimble for William Crawford & Sons
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca.1931
This object is a sewing thimble produced as advertising ephemera for the biscuit manufacturer William Crawford & Sons. Made in England around 1931 by Shaw & Co., it is formed from base metal using stamping techniques. The thimble stands 2.2 cm in height.
The piece is designed as a classic dome featuring an overall dimpled, textured surface. Encircling the lower portion is a band with raised lettering reading "CRAWFORD'S CITY ASSOCIATION", set against a coloured border. A small metal attachment or clip fixture is affixed vertically to one side of the exterior.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
The thimble forms part of the M.J. Franklin Collection of British Biscuit Tins. Decorative tinware and related promotional items evolved alongside developments in food packaging, particularly following nineteenth-century legislation and printing innovations like offset lithography, which fostered extensive commercial advertising before wartime production disruptions.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Base metal
- Dimensions
- Height: 2.2 cm
Technical characteristics
- Inscriptions
- Date: Text: Research required; Latest: Research required; Earliest: Research required; Note: Raied lettering around the base.; Type: Research required; Medium: Research required; Method: Research required; Script: Research required; Content: CRAWFORD'S CITY ASSOCIATION; Language: Research required; Position: Research required; Inscriber: Name: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Association: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Description: Research required; Translation: Research required; Interpretation: Research required; Transliteration: Research required
- Maker recorded
- William Crawford & Sons; Shaw & Co
- Place recorded
- England
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- M.J. Franklin Collection of British Biscuit Tins (Advertising Ephemera)
- Museum object number
- M.882-1983
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.