Graphic Design – Japanese Matchbox Labels

A collection of 322 Japanese matchbox labels.

Japan, circa 1926-1940.

Usually 16 labels (each 3.5 x 5.5 cm) mounted on each page; the album comprises a total of 12 cardboard sheets containing 322 labels in all.

19 x 28.5 cm.  Cloth album with cord binding.

EUR 450

In the 1920s and 1930s, Japanese matchbox labels (raberu) enjoyed a golden age, during which they evolved from purely functional labels into miniature works of art and advertising graphics.

Matchboxes became the primary means of advertising and promotion. Bars, coffee houses, cinemas, tobacconists, cabarets and chemists in major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka had their own customised labels designed, which they distributed to customers as free gifts.

Due to the small surface area (usually around 3.5 x 5.5 cm), the designs had to be extremely minimalist. The Bauhaus style offered the perfect visual efficiency. A hybrid typography emerged. Designers combined Latin letters (often to convey a Western flair) with highly stylised, geometric Kanji characters. Typical features included flat color planes, uncompromising asymmetry, the deliberate use of negative (empty) space and a high-contrast color palette.

An impeccable, high-quality and extensive collection.