Victorian Needle box sets, how to tell if the set is 'made up'
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1) Two sets of needle boxes, to the left a genuine mixed set and to the right a set that has been made up or put together over the years 2) A better image of the genuine mixed set containing prints by Joseph Mansell and Vincent Brookes 3) A better view of the 'made up' set which includes prints by Baxter from his Regal set, Religious Events set, The Tarantella set and Figures and Landscapes set, his son George Baxter Jr, dating from the 1870's, and Bradshaw & Blacklock 4) To the left the underneath of the genuine set, different coloured papers have been used but they are all still still unifiorm in style and to the right the underneath of the made up set showing varying colours, styles & designs and condition 5) The differences in the size and style of the made up set beome more obvious when the boxes are put on their sides 6) An unusual and interesting set of the boxes, Baxter's Regal set but two boxes having to be made 60% of their normal size to fit the larger boxes
When you find a box with ten BAXTER boxes inside they are more often than not a full set, perhaps Tarantella or Regal set with a Baxter print on the front. Baxter was the first, most prominent and sought after supplier of these types of prints to that trade. Sometimes Baxter supplied a label for the inside of the box lid listing the prints inside, guaranteeing his prints would be so included. A good business move and valuable advertising. Other boxes can be found as with Baxter, particularly Kronheim and Bradshaw & Blacklock, a print on the outside lid and a set of ten prints inside from the same printer.
Sometimes you can find mixed sets, ones with perhaps Kronheim on the outer lid that might contain a mixture of Baxter, Kronheim or Mansell for example inside. It does raise the question over the originality of the set, have the always been together, or have they been ‘made up’?
If the manufacturers of these boxes weren’t using complete sets they didn’t seem to mind mixing the prints. To them it most probably didn’t matter and they picked a selection from the various sheets they had in stock at that time.
To me what makes a ‘made up’ set obvious are the actual boxes themselves. You might think they are all the same size until you try to find a replacement for a missing one from a box of ten. They can all vary in length, width and depth and anything more than a minor difference can make a box stand out as not fitting properly. Don’t forget the manufacture of these boxes was a cottage industry, many boxes being made by hand in families’ front rooms or workshops so they would naturally never all be exactly the same size BUT were made to fit the larger box they would go into. I have one set where two of the boxes are only about 60% the size of the others, please see image 6. Did someone make the other eight too large or was the outer box smaller than expected?
Apart from the size, the construction of the bottom of the box can vary slightly even though the paper colour used can vary, white, pink or green and can be found mixed in the same box. Also, some have gilded edging around the print etc. If a set has been together for the last 170 odd years the condition of the colours of the prints on the small boxes should also be uniform.
If you find a mixed set and the boxes are all as good as the same size, same design & style, same condition and they fit the box neatly I feel they would be more than likely totally original. The same can’t be said for the lids of outer larger boxes which can easily have been swapped, sometimes mistakenly, between sets over the years.
For your interest I show an image of a mixed box containing Vincent Brooks and Mansell boxes. Although there are minor differences in size as they are made by hand, they all fit neatly. They are all the same design and style (even though two different colours of paper have been used to make them) and have a gilded edge to the top. The other set, showing Baxter, Bradshaw & Blacklock and Baxter Jr boxes are not uniform size, even more noticeable when viewed from the sides as per image 5. they are all in slightly differing styles and designs, some with and some without gilding and in variable condition so definitely a ‘made up’ set.