About this objectCushion cover incorporating 90 cigarette flag silks, used as patchwork overlay. Each silk shows two crossed flag poles with flying flags which have been machine embroidered onto a rectangle of white netting. The textile tobacco insert or ‘silk’ is unique among tobacco collectibles. The practice of using these textiles as inserts was initiated in an effort to encourage women to collect them, thereby boosting the sales of the advertised tobacco manufacturer. The practice may also have been an effort to entice women into smoking at a time when competition for business between the tobacco companies was fierce. Though the practice of giving away these textiles in tobacco products, which sometimes cost more than the product itself, was understandably short lived, their legacy is still evident almost 100 years later.
MakerUnknown
Date MadeWWI
Medium and MaterialsThe silks have been hand sewn together into a large square edged with a plain royal blue polished cotton border 5 cms wide and this same fabric forms the reverse side of the cover. The lining is red cotton fabric which forms the backing for the silks and can be seen through the open weave of the netting, giving an overall patriotic colour scheme of red, white and blue to the cover.
There are 13 different silks in the cushion cover representing the flags of the Allies c1916. The finished article measures 60cm x 60cm.
Subject and Association Description
Household items made using cigarette textile inserts have survived well for over almost 100 years. The Powerhouse Museum in Sydney holds an example of a cushion c. 1900 made from cigarette silks featuring different breeds of dog. Strips of ribbon run between the silks and the back of the cushion is plain silk. In this example the ‘silks’ are actually small rectangles of silk unlike some later examples when fabrics other than silk were used but the name was retained.
Most examples of household items made using the silks were small, such as cushion covers and doll or cradle sized quilts -but some examples of exceptions to this rule can be viewed online at Fabrics.net. One particularly fine example c. 1915 features approx 1000 silks with various themes such as flowers, girls, flags and yachts.
