Dressing-table box and lid

This moulded plastic box was designed in the 1930s, at a time when plastic technology and its use were vastly increasing. The material provided designers with exciting possibilities in terms of shape and colour, and was perfectly suited to the sharp lines and geometric shapes of Art Deco. In this instance, a marbled effect has been created by adding lead phosphate during the moulding process. In the Journal of the Royal Society of Arts (1943), John Gloag summed up what he saw as the attitude of many designers towards plastics in the words, 'these materials can do anything - let's do everything'.

Dressing-table box and lid · Great Britain · late 1930s. Compression moulded cellulose acetate. By Halex Ltd.. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.