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Cake Tin - Phar Lap, Metal, 1930s
Reg. No: HT 29862
- Summary:
- Metal cake tin sold in the 1930s by an unknown Australian manufacture to take advantage of the popularity of the champion race horse Phar Lap.
- Description:
- Circular metal tin with a removable lid. Central motif of lid shows a standing race horse with his head slightly tucked into his neck. His jockey wears the colours of Harry Telford, consisting of a red cap, red body and black and white hooped sleeves. Under the horse words appear in cursive gold lettering. The background is black, whilst the circumference edging is a decorative swirling gold colour.
- Statement Of Significance:
- This tin is significant as an example of the huge amount of merchandising produced to capitalise on the success of the race horse Phar Lap.The enduring popularity, and marketability of Phar Lap is demonstrated through the number of mementoes and souvenirs produced during his life, and in the decades following his death. Phar Lap's life and untimely death were commemorated in numerous handcrafted and commercial products such as this, marketed to a public hungry for the opportunity to show their devotion to and admiration for `Big Red' and his amazing achievements on the track. It is an early example of the use of the name and image of an Australian celebrity to sell a product. In the days before licensing laws, companies (following the example set by Hollywood) were able to put a celebrity's name and image on any product, no matter how unrelated to them, in the hope of tempting a star-struck public.
| Discipline: | History |
| Dimensions: | 80 mm (Height), 225 mm (Width) |
More information
| Tagged with: | horse racing, souvenirs, advertising, horses |
| Themes this item is part of: | Domestic & Community Life Collection, Leisure Collection, Phar Lap Collection |
| On Display at: | Melbourne Museum |
| Primary Classification: | SPORT |
| Secondary Classification: | Horse Racing |
| Tertiary Classification: | souvenirs |
| Inscriptions: | Printed on top of lid: Phar Lap |
| Place & Date Manufactured: | Australia, 1930s |
| Horse Depicted: | Phar Lap (Racehorse), 1930s |
Themes
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