J. Mann and Sons was first established as a farm produce store in 1921. The range of products was extended in the 1930s and included groceries and hardware, as well as the first petrol bowser in Wodonga outside the store. After WWII, the premises were extended and the range of products continued to increase. In the 1960s the Mann Family opened a new supermarket in Wodonga, in addition to the hardware business, providing steel, plumbing and industrial supplies, and they employed over 100 people at one stage. With changes in the retail industry, the Mann Family sold the main hardware business to Bunnings and the produce business to the Kelly brothers in 2006.This item was an important everyday feature in many stores when items were wrapped in brown paper before the introduction of plastic bags.The paper dispenser has a wooden top and base, with a cast iron frame and lever. There is a removable metal rod which holds the paper roll in place. It was used for dispensing brown wrapping paper. The Blade" lever is not sharp, but was used to stabilise the paper roll so the paper can be easily torn off at the required length. An empty paper roll is included.mann wodonga, wodonga businesses

Pumice sand soap is used to clean and/or restore a variety of materials and structures, as well as soiled hands.Two blocks of pumice sand soap in original wrappings (one damaged and roughly repaired)"Pearson's celebrated pumice sand soap" printed in black on orange paper wrappingsoap, sand soap, pumice soap

The invoices glued into the scrapbook relate to purchases from the Ballarat School of MinesA very large dark green hard covered volume with read leather face spine and corners. Black ornamental bands across the spine. Leather strap with buckle for securing covers when not in use. Plain pages of brown "wrapping paper". Receipts glued to pages, folded and then numbered consecutively by hand i blue pencil. First receipt No. 996 (01 July 1895), numbering restarts after 1000 (three times). Last receipt is No. 155 (05 May 1899).invoices, ballarat school of mines, tunbridges, pringle, receipts, w. hamer, plumber, eyres brothers, j.h. trotman, g. batchelor, n. guthridge, w. doepel, frank fiscalini, huddart, barker and co., a. gaunt, h. wardle and son, turron & mcgavin, e.e. campbell, g.f. hocking, william sutherland, f. vale, victoria insurance company, r. collie & co., walter cornell, john fiscalini, mcvitty & co, j. miller & co, a.g. corbett, ben franklin printing works, middleton & morris, melbourne glass bottle works co, eldon chambers, e.l. stubbs, j. jones, firewood, mrs soderstrom, museum, ballarat school of mines museum, hill & paine, h. hebestadt, f.w. commons, sculptor, cherry & robins, alex e. monsbourgh, alex purdie, andrew cant, ballarat star, frederick martell, goodfellows, evening echo, a.h. powell, phillately

Labourers grading and wrapping apples in paper and packing into wooden cases at the Hurstbridge packing shed. W.G. Gray's Allwood Nurseries was the largest orchard in the district and exported domestically and internationally. At one time the Hurstbridge railway station held the record for the number of apples sent away in one season. This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book, "Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital imagesepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, hurstbridge, packing apples, fruit industry, export, apple industry

The packing of this needle is an example of an instrument sterilisation process that is no longer employed. This is one of a collection of items received from the practice of Dr Lachlan Hardy-Wilson, FRCOG, Launceston, Tasmania.Three-inch needle attachment wrapped in gauze, padding and cloth. Handwritten scrap of paper inside wrapping reads 'Sterile/22.3.89'. It originally reads as 'Unsterile' but the 'Un' has been crossed out.surgery

Book. Gertrude Perry's Autograph Book. Faux red leather cover with brown paper wrapping. Autographs 7 drawings dating 1930's & 40's. Name inside front cover Gertrude Eva Perry, Brown Street, California Gully, Bendigo 19/8/31.person, individual, autographs, gertrude perry collection, gertrude perry's autograph book

This collapsible cane is in four sections joined to each other by braided rubber tubing. Original paper wrapping has instructions on the outside including: 'The top section can easily be identified as it is the thickest of the four and is threaded with an elastic cord for carrying purposes'. An elasticized handle loops around the wrist, when unfolded and in use. When collapsed , the handle loops around the four parts, keeping them folded.4 metal/plastic pieces joined together with an elasticized cordassistive devices, royal national institute for the blind

Digital image: Matthews Bros, Hargreaves Street, Bendigo, document issued to Miss. D. Cherry, c/-Mrs. Burke, Old House at Home Hotel, c/- Whytes Bus, Andrews Auction Rooms, On label ' Matthews Bros., Hargreaves Street, Pall Mall, Bendigo. Look for the busy red emporium where quality tells. Drapers, mercers, ladies wear etc. Sent by email from Maurice Austin, Oak Park Vic., ([email protected]) His email states, 'was given this label today by the 80-year-old son of the D. Cherry noted on the label. She was in fact to become Dorothy Fartch, my donor's mother. …. Before she was married, she was employed by Ma Burke at the Old House at Home pub, and often acted as a 'cockatoo' out from on Sundays! … the name Whytes still sadly in the news I note from searches today the pub still exists also I note. …. the label was and still is attached to a large piece of brown wrapping paper that was used to line a big wooden box as was typical usage in the old days. Please credit 'Maurice Austin Collection' if the label is used for any purpose.bendigo, cherry, old house and home hotel

This is a "Nestor Gianaclis" cigarette packet from Cairo. In it is a collection of cigarettes. 5 x Isis brand with gold rim. 4 x Big Ben brand with a printed stylised crown, wings and fist. 1 x Grand Gordon Brand. Pretend cork filter. Printed blue belt around circumference. 1 x Lucana Russian brand. Plain paper wrapping. The box has English and Egyptian writing on it.passchendaele barracks trust, smoking, cairo, ww1

.1) - 2.) Canvas bag with strap, khaki, brass press studs. .3) - .8) Group 3 bandages & 3 dressings in paper wrapping. .9) - .13) Cardboard box with lid containing 3 ampoules of tincture of iodine. .14) Sealed paper pocket containing safety pins. .15) - .17) x 3 bottles containing tablets. .18) Metal tin with attached lid. .19) Roll of adhesive tape. .20 - .21) Tube of Tannic of Acid Jelly in cardboard box. .22) Small brush. .23) Dressing fabric. .24) Gauze bandage. medicine-first aid, military history - equipment, passchendaele barracks trust

Large brown glass bottle in original packaging once contained 1lb of ether. The bottle is wrapped in brown paper wrapping with black and red print on a white label. It reads [in red ink] POISON /NOT TO BE TAKEN / WOOLWICH ELLIOTT [logo] / [black ink] 263 61 / Anaesthetic Ether / B. P. / NET 1 LB. / This ether contains 0.002% w/v of Hydroquinone as a / preservative, in accordance with the B.P. / [red ink] CAUTION: Keep well corked in a cool, dark place / [black ink] WOOLWICH-ELLIOTT / CHEMICAL COMPANY PTY. LTD. / SYDNEY / USE BEFORE JAN 1964 / [in red ink] HIGHTLY INFLAMMABLE / [black ink] MADE IN AUSTRALIAether, anaesthetic, poison, glass, bottle, woolwich-eliott chemical co, sydney, anaesthetic ether, hydroquinine, inflammable

The British Australasian Tobacco Co. was based in Melbourne and Sydney. The parent company was founded in England, circa 1902. This item "HAVELOCK" is one of many ready rubbed tobacco tins produced by the British Australasian Tobacco Company.The ready rubbed tobacco held within the tin was mainly used by those smokers who rolled their own cigarettes. These smokers would have mainly used their palm and formed a cup then placing their choice of the amount of tobacco to be rolled. This would then be placed on the fine cigarette paper and rolled and sealed (using saliva in the mouth) into the required shape. There were mechanical "roll your own" gadgets on the market but most rural users, especially males used their palms. (Ref Victorian Collections)Roll your own cigarettes were popularly used in rural areas, especially when "tailor made" cigarettes were more expensive. Tobacco consumption in Australia is decreasing and fewer smokers are "rolling their own" cigarettes.A dark green rectangular shaped metal Havelock tobacco tin with a weave pattern. It is made from tin plated thin rolled steel. The lid is attached by two hinges.Lid - top left in gold coloured letters "HAVELOCK". bottom -"READY RUBBED TOBACCO" "2oz NET WEIGHT WHEN PACKED". Rim - "THE BRITISH AUSTRALASIAN TOBACCO CO. PTY. LTD." Inside lid -black print on gold background - "Every tin of genuine HAVELOCK Ready Rubbed Tobacco has the mane Havelock printed on the paper lining, and also on the band or wrapping sealing the tin. On the hinge side of the lid is "HAVELOCK READY RUBBED"tobacco cigarettes tin

This Flyer was produced by the Australian Govt Department of Defence for an auction to be held at Fortuna Bendigo on Wed 21 February 2007 at 11am for the sale of Map Printing and finishing Equipment that had been used by the Royal Australian Survey Corps at the Army Survey Regiment. The Flyer lists 76 x items of equipment being Auctioned. Items Auctioned include: Amrap Pallet Stretch Wrapping Machine, Crown 20IMT90 Electric Lift Truck, Roland R804 7B Large Format 4 x Colour Offset Printing Press, Wohlenburg 1850mm programmable Paper Guillotine Model MCS-2, Bauman Stack Lift, Barco Graphics Mega Setta Plus Large Format Image Setter, HP Design Jet 300P Colour Plotter and Heidelburg Speedmaster Model 102F 5 x Colour Offset Printing Press.A4 Auction Flyer, Blue, Double sided and 7 x photos of lithographic equipment. Contains lists of items to be auctioned.royal australian survey corps, rasvy, fortuna, army survey regiment, army svy regt, asr

These labels were used in the business of E.B.Phillips, firstly when he as in partnership with Thomson in the late 1890s and later when he was the sole proprietor. Ernest Brighton Phillips (1875-1924) was a furniture maker and seller with a business at the corner of Liebig and Koroit Streets. At the beginning of the 20th century it was the largest furniture warehouse and factory in Victoria outside of Melbourne. Samples of his furniture making are still in use in various parts of Australia. Philips built his home, ‘Heatherlie’, diagonally opposite his business and this site today is occupied by ‘Heatherlie’ flats for the elderly.These labels are of interest as mementoes of the Warrnambool furniture shop and factory of E.B.Phillips, a prominent businessman in Warrnambool a hundred or more years ago. .1 A sheet of cream-coloured paper with cream printing on an orange background and a space for an address. The sheet has two ragged edges. .2 A circular label or sticker pasted on to an irregular-shaped sheet of brown paper (part of the original wrapping). The label has an image in brown and white tonings of a woman with an easel, some stylized decoration and blue and white printing. The edges of the label are worn away. .1 Late with J.J.O’Mullane From Phillips, Thomson and Co. General House Furnishers Corner Liebig & Koroit Sts. Warrnambool .2 Framed by E.B.Phillips The Artistic House Furnisher and Picture Framer Warrnambool ernest brighton phillips, history of warrnambool, labels, heatherlie

The British Australasian Tobacco Co. (based in Melbourne and Sydney. The parent company was founded in England, circa 1902). This item "HAVELOCK" is one of many ready rubbed tobacco tins produced by the British Australasian Tobacco Company.The ready rubbed tobacco held within the tin was mainly used by those smokers who rolled their own cigarettes. These smokers would have mainly used their palm and formed a cup then placing their choice of the amount of tobacco to be rolled. This would then be placed on the fine cigarette paper and rolled and sealed (using saliva in the mouth) into the required shape. There were mechanical "roll you own" gadgets on the market but most rural users, especially males used their palms. The quantity of tobacco used to make up the cigarette was up to the individual user. The thinner that the cigarette was rolled the longer and more economical did the supply last. The by -products of this method were nicotine stained fingers and hands. "Chain" smokers were easily identified and could therefore be discriminated against obtaining smoke sensitive employment. The two world wars (1914-18 and1939-45) produced a significant rise in the consumption of cigarette use by men and the eventual overflow to women. Cigarette smoking before the 1900s was seen as rough and uncouth (socially frowned upon), however after the introduction of overseas films (U.K. and U.S.A.) and film stars presenting smoking as socially acceptable, the rise of smoking cigarettes, especially roll you own (American western movies) in rural areas was an accepted way of life. Things however started to change in the mid 1900s when medical evidence pointed to the health problems of regular smokers. Governments were now implementing non smoking education material. Restrictions on where and when smoking was permitted and acceptable started to creep into all areas of society whether city or rural. This was the era that highlighted the use of roll your own cigarettes, especially when the costs of "tailor made" cigarettes were taxed at an increasing amount. Roll your own cigarettes also provided an avenue for the consumption of illicit drug use.The significance of this ready rubbed tobacco tin to this rural region is, stems from how much influence that the Western novels and overseas films (portraying rural lifestyles) played in shaping the rural social and working mores of the Kiewa Valley. The post war depression (financially) resulted in more smokers turning away from expensive machine (tailor) made cigarettes to the roll your own, using ready rubbed tobacco. This tobacco tin relays a long ago era, when personal contact, and not something that has been written down by some "unknown", was valued as the true appraisal of a member of the community. This was especially relevant in a small regional area such as the Kiewa Valley. Although social networking was not as fast then as the internet provides now, appearances, manners, fashion and etiquette with first impressions high on the order of evaluating someone in the community. Pointer such as the brand of tobacco smoked was part of the rural assessment method. Up until the demise of the Australian Tobacco Industry, circa 2004, the Kiewa Valley and surrounding district was part of a vibrant producer of tobacco leaves. The remnants of this industry still remain today but the drying sheds (for tobacco leaves) are now used to store hay for the valley's dairy and beef cattle industries.This tobacco tin is constructed from tin plated thin rolled steel. The lid is attached by two pressed and formed (from the main frame) hinges using the nip and tuck construction method.The lid and outside frame have had a green "weave" pattern anodised to the metal.On the outside of the lid and at the top left is stamped, in gold coloured letters "HAVELOCK". The bottom of the lid is stamped (in smaller script) "READY RUBBED TOBACCO" and below this in smaller lettering "2oz NET WEIGHT WHEN PACKED". On the rim of the lid is "THE BRITISH AUSTRALASIAN TOBACCO CO. PTY. LTD." Inside of the lid and stamped in black print on a gold anodised lid is "Every tin of genuine HAVELOCK Ready Rubbed Tobacco has the mane Havelock printed on the paper lining, and also on the band or wrapping sealing the tin. On the hinge side of the lid is "HAVELOCK READY RUBBED"roll your own, cigarette tins, smoking accessories, personal effects, tobacco containers

Names a newsagent who operated in Liebig Street in mid 20th century. G W. ClarkeTypical wrapping paper of the time and provides a list of items typically sold by newsagents at that time.Cream paper bag, with dark blue text inside a rectangular boxCLARKE’S/FOR CARDS/NEWSAGENTS/STATIONERY, BOOKS, GAMES,/SOUVENIRS, MUSIC, PAPER BACKS, ETC./ LIEBIG STREET, WARRNAMBOOL/ Phone: 2407warrnambool, clarke’s, liebig street, stationery, newsagents, clarke gw

G. Bona & Figlio was a store located in Venezia (Venice) Italy. It sold a wide variety of consumer goods including coats, furs, fans, walking sticks and travel items.The wrapping paper is a rare survival of ephemera related to a business, G. Bona & Figlio from Venezia (Venice) Italy. The arrival of waves of more than ten million migrants by boat is one of the major themes in Australia’s history. The paper shopping bag is representative of personal items purchased for migrant journeys as markers of domesticity, warmth and making oneself at home in a new land that speaks of the transnational lives embedded in threads of migration.A poster, rectangular, on cream paper with words and text printed in blue ink print. The poster has illustrations of a fan, umbrellas and a luggage case. It advertises addresses in Milano and Venezia (Milan and Venice)."G. BONA & FIGLIO" "VENEZIA" MILANO" "Merceria S. Salvatore" "assortmento" "Portagog, Portamonete" "Bastoni da Passeggio"venice, venezia, italy., shopping, flagstaff hill, maritime museum, g. bona & figlio, travel goods, italian merchant, luggage, umbrellas

Large scrapbook (99 pages) of Kitchen's labels (e.g Velvet, Solvol, electrine), soap wrappings, posters and candle box covers . Thick cardboard cover with dark green spine . Brown paper pages. Some handwritten notations e.g. "K Wood Feb-y 1928". Dates from 1927 to approx 1933. Some loose labels (page 82) in a plastic sleeve (so added recently). Stamp inside front cover "Unichema Aust Pty Ltd (inc in NSW)industry, manufacturing, advertising, domestic life, j kitchen & sons pty ltd

This paper roll holder would have been used in a retail premises. Large brown paper rolls were able to be cut to any length for wrapping goods.Two wooden bevelled pieces, narrow piece on top wider piece on bottom with steel support ends and moveable centre piece screwed to wood pieces. Steel ends have "U" shaped holder in inside at centre.Steel ends have two raised diamond patterns. "24in CLARENCE 24in"shops, george evans collection

Three men at Irvine's Winery Great Western wrapping bottles of wine in tissue paper and man on right packing the bottles in boxes possibly for export.wine, wineries

Recycled paper shopping bags and wrappings on cardboard construction

‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ was an exhibition that toured to 10 Australian and 11 New Zealand public galleries in 1979 and 1980. The touring exhibition comprised 221 objects of traditional Japanese packaging which extended from ceramics, wood and paper to woven fibre containers. At the conclusion of the tour, The Japan Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council donated the vast majority of the exhibition to the Ararat Gallery for its permanent collection. Combining the natural qualities of bamboo, paper and straw with delicate craftsmanship, these unique objects express Japanese aesthetics as applied through fibre crafts. In Japan, the qualities and traits of natural materials are exploited rather than hidden. The texture of straw, the septa of bamboo are not concealed but lovingly incorporated into the whole. In 1979 Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ wrote: “In no way self-conscious or assertive, these wrappings have an artless and obedient air that greatly moves the modern viewer. They are whispered evidence of the Japanese ability to create beauty from the simplest products of nature. They also teach us that wisdom and feeling are especially important in packaging because these qualities, or the lack of them, are almost immediately apparent. What is the use of a package if it shows no feeling?” The descriptions of the featured objects were written by Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’, 1979.Gift of the Japan-Australia Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council, 1981Another Kyoto confection, a kind of sweetened rice paste, is simply but strikingly wrapped in a package marked with its name (uiro) in vigorously written characters. Simplicity could hardly be carried further, but, as seen in this ensemble of three separate packages, the effect is altogether engaging. - Professor Hideyuki Oka, curator.japanese art, japanese packaging, tsutsumi, gift giving

‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ was an exhibition that toured to 10 Australian and 11 New Zealand public galleries in 1979 and 1980. The touring exhibition comprised 221 objects of traditional Japanese packaging which extended from ceramics, wood and paper to woven fibre containers. At the conclusion of the tour, The Japan Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council donated the vast majority of the exhibition to the Ararat Gallery for its permanent collection. Combining the natural qualities of bamboo, paper and straw with delicate craftsmanship, these unique objects express Japanese aesthetics as applied through fibre crafts. In Japan, the qualities and traits of natural materials are exploited rather than hidden. The texture of straw, the septa of bamboo are not concealed but lovingly incorporated into the whole. In 1979 Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ wrote: “In no way self-conscious or assertive, these wrappings have an artless and obedient air that greatly moves the modern viewer. They are whispered evidence of the Japanese ability to create beauty from the simplest products of nature. They also teach us that wisdom and feeling are especially important in packaging because these qualities, or the lack of them, are almost immediately apparent. What is the use of a package if it shows no feeling?” The descriptions of the featured objects were written by Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’, 1979.Gift of the Japan-Australia Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council, 1981japanese art, japanese packaging, tsutsumi, gift giving

‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ was an exhibition that toured to 10 Australian and 11 New Zealand public galleries in 1979 and 1980. The touring exhibition comprised 221 objects of traditional Japanese packaging which extended from ceramics, wood and paper to woven fibre containers. At the conclusion of the tour, The Japan Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council donated the vast majority of the exhibition to the Ararat Gallery for its permanent collection. Combining the natural qualities of bamboo, paper and straw with delicate craftsmanship, these unique objects express Japanese aesthetics as applied through fibre crafts. In Japan, the qualities and traits of natural materials are exploited rather than hidden. The texture of straw, the septa of bamboo are not concealed but lovingly incorporated into the whole. In 1979 Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ wrote: “In no way self-conscious or assertive, these wrappings have an artless and obedient air that greatly moves the modern viewer. They are whispered evidence of the Japanese ability to create beauty from the simplest products of nature. They also teach us that wisdom and feeling are especially important in packaging because these qualities, or the lack of them, are almost immediately apparent. What is the use of a package if it shows no feeling?” The descriptions of the featured objects were written by Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’, 1979.Gift of the Japan-Australia Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council, 1981japanese art, japanese packaging, tsutsumi, gift giving

‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ was an exhibition that toured to 10 Australian and 11 New Zealand public galleries in 1979 and 1980. The touring exhibition comprised 221 objects of traditional Japanese packaging which extended from ceramics, wood and paper to woven fibre containers. At the conclusion of the tour, The Japan Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council donated the vast majority of the exhibition to the Ararat Gallery for its permanent collection. Combining the natural qualities of bamboo, paper and straw with delicate craftsmanship, these unique objects express Japanese aesthetics as applied through fibre crafts. In Japan, the qualities and traits of natural materials are exploited rather than hidden. The texture of straw, the septa of bamboo are not concealed but lovingly incorporated into the whole. In 1979 Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ wrote: “In no way self-conscious or assertive, these wrappings have an artless and obedient air that greatly moves the modern viewer. They are whispered evidence of the Japanese ability to create beauty from the simplest products of nature. They also teach us that wisdom and feeling are especially important in packaging because these qualities, or the lack of them, are almost immediately apparent. What is the use of a package if it shows no feeling?” The descriptions of the featured objects were written by Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’, 1979. Gift of the Japan-Australia Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council, 1981An elegant wooden box, fashioned in the style of boxes used for gifts to the emperor some eight or nine centuries ago, is filled with a Kyoto confection called Gion Chigo Mochi. The Gion is one of Kyoto's entertainment districts, chigo are children dressed in ceremonial Buddhist costume for one of the city's numerous festivals, and mochi are cakes of steamed and pounded rice. The name of the confection derives from the style of the bamboo-sheath wrapping, which suggests the figure of a chigo. - Professor Hideyuki Oka, curator.japanese art, japanese packaging, tsutsumi, gift giving

‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ was an exhibition that toured to 10 Australian and 11 New Zealand public galleries in 1979 and 1980. The touring exhibition comprised 221 objects of traditional Japanese packaging which extended from ceramics, wood and paper to woven fibre containers. At the conclusion of the tour, The Japan Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council donated the vast majority of the exhibition to the Ararat Gallery for its permanent collection. Combining the natural qualities of bamboo, paper and straw with delicate craftsmanship, these unique objects express Japanese aesthetics as applied through fibre crafts. In Japan, the qualities and traits of natural materials are exploited rather than hidden. The texture of straw, the septa of bamboo are not concealed but lovingly incorporated into the whole. In 1979 Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ wrote: “In no way self-conscious or assertive, these wrappings have an artless and obedient air that greatly moves the modern viewer. They are whispered evidence of the Japanese ability to create beauty from the simplest products of nature. They also teach us that wisdom and feeling are especially important in packaging because these qualities, or the lack of them, are almost immediately apparent. What is the use of a package if it shows no feeling?” The descriptions of the featured objects were written by Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’, 1979.Gift of the Japan-Australia Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council, 1981japanese art, japanese packaging, tsutsumi, gift giving

‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ was an exhibition that toured to 10 Australian and 11 New Zealand public galleries in 1979 and 1980. The touring exhibition comprised 221 objects of traditional Japanese packaging which extended from ceramics, wood and paper to woven fibre containers. At the conclusion of the tour, The Japan Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council donated the vast majority of the exhibition to the Ararat Gallery for its permanent collection. Combining the natural qualities of bamboo, paper and straw with delicate craftsmanship, these unique objects express Japanese aesthetics as applied through fibre crafts. In Japan, the qualities and traits of natural materials are exploited rather than hidden. The texture of straw, the septa of bamboo are not concealed but lovingly incorporated into the whole. In 1979 Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ wrote: “In no way self-conscious or assertive, these wrappings have an artless and obedient air that greatly moves the modern viewer. They are whispered evidence of the Japanese ability to create beauty from the simplest products of nature. They also teach us that wisdom and feeling are especially important in packaging because these qualities, or the lack of them, are almost immediately apparent. What is the use of a package if it shows no feeling?” The descriptions of the featured objects were written by Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’, 1979.Gift of the Japan-Australia Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council, 1981japanese art, japanese packaging, tsutsumi, gift giving

‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ was an exhibition that toured to 10 Australian and 11 New Zealand public galleries in 1979 and 1980. The touring exhibition comprised 221 objects of traditional Japanese packaging which extended from ceramics, wood and paper to woven fibre containers. At the conclusion of the tour, The Japan Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council donated the vast majority of the exhibition to the Ararat Gallery for its permanent collection. Combining the natural qualities of bamboo, paper and straw with delicate craftsmanship, these unique objects express Japanese aesthetics as applied through fibre crafts. In Japan, the qualities and traits of natural materials are exploited rather than hidden. The texture of straw, the septa of bamboo are not concealed but lovingly incorporated into the whole. In 1979 Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ wrote: “In no way self-conscious or assertive, these wrappings have an artless and obedient air that greatly moves the modern viewer. They are whispered evidence of the Japanese ability to create beauty from the simplest products of nature. They also teach us that wisdom and feeling are especially important in packaging because these qualities, or the lack of them, are almost immediately apparent. What is the use of a package if it shows no feeling?” The descriptions of the featured objects were written by Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’, 1979.Gift of the Japan-Australia Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council, 1981japanese art, japanese packaging, tsutsumi, gift giving