Indian Crafts - Matchstick and Matchbox Making

Matchstick and Matchbox making craft is often associated with a town in Tamil Nadu named Sivakasi. This is an underrated and underappreciated craft that has a rich history. The labels and designs printed on matchboxes are often deconstructed and analyzed, due to their culturally and politically charged nature. Currently, this is a dying craft due to the prevalence of lighters. 

Significance

The growth of the matchbox industry went hand-in-hand with the growth of cigars, cigarettes, and bidis. Often, cigarette production units commissioned matchbox factories to make products for them which were sold together. This opened up a new market for advertising and matchbox producers began promoting their products along with tobacco ones. Hotels, restaurants, airlines, etc. ordered custom-made matchboxes and decorative sticks to highlight the exclusivity of their brand. 

Bazaar art products such as calendars and matchboxes were a unique way to promote art as well as commodify it. People bought these products on the basis of their design and the artists reaped the benefits from the mass production of their work. The designs are also significant because they were a product of the time. Much of the art revolved around stories of Indian independence, familiar myths and legends, and faces of various imminent public figures. This industry was also considered unique as it is partly a cottage industry due to the usage of softwood and paper for the matchbox. This practice exists in very few places today. Matchbox collection became a popular hobby, which was widely popular even until 2 decades ago. The hobby is called phillumeny and involves collecting the boxes, labels, sticks, covers, etc. However, the sale, significance, and popularity of matchboxes have plateaued since the introduction of lighters. 

Design

A major figure in the history and inception of matchbox designs in Sivakasi is the artist Raja Ravi Varma. His art style involved a blend of Indian iconography and culture, painted in a formal and refined European style. His bright paintings of mythical figures from Indian epics are iconic and have been a source of inspiration to many artists, especially in the area of ‘bazaar art’. The emphasis his art placed on scriptures spoke to the masses and appealed to everyone regardless of class. It had power over the educated as well as the uneducated because both could interpret and enjoy the shared connection. His work was highlighted and highly appreciated by those against the colonial rule because they believed that he had the ability to fuel nationalist spirits. 

Additionally, Raja Ravi Varma’s work was also well accepted by the colonial administration and the upper echelon because of the humanised and grounded depiction of Hindu gods and goddesses. His roaring success led to the establishment of a lithography press called ‘The Raja Ravi Varma Lithography Press’, due to which he was able to increase the production of his art. This encouraged other printing industries to establish themselves in Sivakasi, which currently has around 520 certified ones. 

The labels on the matchbox were in a unique position to spread ideas and messages to the masses. Some princely states, such as Bhavnagar in Gujarat, had custom-made matchbox labels with their royal crest on them. Others had the faces of the rulers such as Moolam Thirunal, which was also printed in Czechoslovakia. The labels on the matchboxes differ in other ways according to where they are produced. While some aim to market and advertise, others aimaimed to generate awareness and rally support for a cause. While many were politically inclined, due to the rise of pop-culture, the labels startedstarting depicting images of movie stars of the 1930s and 40s, leaders, the Indian cricket team winning a world cup, people on the moon, awareness of diseases, as well as mere household objects. The pop-culture references appealed to people across all classes and framed various narratives.

Many label makers have also been influenced by labels produced in the Western world and therefore animals are popular imagery found. They are easy to make, replicate, and have mass appeal. One can deduce that matchbox labels depict what is popular and desirable at the time. The focus often changed with the time, so the imagery transitioned from nationalist to popular culture, to back to being nationalist from 1963-1968 due to the wars against China and Pakistan. When a design makes more sales, then smaller companies attempt to recreate it and that consequently becomes a trend. 

The matchbox label designs have evolved over time. Not only has the art on them changed according to trends at the time, but over the 1990s and early 2000s, the matchbox designs themselves were being replicated on other products. This can be found in CDs, t-shirts, jeans, bags, boxes, etc.  But it is most commonly replicated in calendars. The antique and mystical aesthetic became popular and companies started printing Raja Ravi Varma’s work on their products.