An exhibition of matchboxes and labels will be held in Vitebsk

The exhibition of matchboxes and labels "Gift of Prometheus" (from the private collection of V.F. Kolesinsky) will open on March 12, 2015, at 4:00 PM in the Town Hall.

Philumeny is the collection of matchbox labels, boxes, booklets (matchbooks), matches themselves, and other items related to matches. Collecting matchbox labels is actually one of the oldest forms of collecting miniature graphic images. The collection of labels began in the 1830s, even before the first postage stamp appeared.

For many, it is unusual to see a matchbox label as an object of museum value, rather than just for purely everyday use. However, it is at the exhibition that one can clearly see that these are works of industrial graphic art. A whole range of specialists worked on the creation of the best examples of matchbox labels: artists, photographers, copywriters, and production workers. In Soviet times, a strict system of control was established for the development of design concepts and clichés from which the labels were printed.

It is interesting that the word "match" (спичка) is Russian, and it comes from the word "spitsa" (спица), meaning a very thin wooden stick. Striking a match on a box, we don't even think about the history of this very practical and amazing invention. In ancient times, making fire was a very difficult task – it was obtained by friction or striking. And even after the invention of flint and steel, which became widespread in the Middle Ages, lighting it required considerable effort and skill, as striking a spark was the most unpleasant part of this "device." And only later did someone come up with the idea of dipping the tip of a dry splinter into pre-melted sulfur. Then this head was pressed against tinder, and it instantly ignited. The whole splinter then caught fire from it. Thus, the first matches appeared. And the very first matches of the modern type were invented on April 10, 1833, when yellow phosphorus was introduced into the mass for match heads.

Many people remember that in the USSR, the price of matches was minimal – only one kopeck per box, which contained about 60 matches. However, the very first phosphorus matches were brought to Russia from abroad and were quite expensive – one silver ruble for just 100 pieces. Nevertheless, within a few years, the country had its own factories, and as a result, the price of matches dropped sharply, to about 3–5 kopecks per 100 matches.

In the early 1960s, phillumeny was one of the six officially permitted types of collecting (along with philately, postcrossing, ex libris collecting, numismatics, and bonistics). The heyday of phillumeny in the USSR occurred between 1960 and 1980, when the Balabanovo Experimental Match Factory, which printed labels for most match factories, produced special sets for phillumenists (consisting of 100 regular labels and sets of souvenir labels – complete or without gross – "labels" placed on the lids of souvenir boxes, and side tapes of souvenir boxes). Similar sets were also produced by Baltic factories that printed their labels independently.

In the late 1980s, the production of collector sets was discontinued (partly due to the transition of many factories to producing matches in cardboard rather than veneer boxes). After 1991, the popularity of phillumeny sharply declined, and most phillumeny sections, established in the late 1950s – early 1960s in major cities of the USSR, ceased to exist.

Matchbox labels are a valuable documentary material for studying history. A label is an actual document of societal development, reproduced and distributed among millions of citizens not only in the USSR but also far beyond its borders. In many ways, it is the country's calling card. The Soviet Union was the largest exporter of matches and, in the 1960s, became the world leader in their production. Ultimately, the matchbox label became a powerful tool for propaganda and advertising.

Soviet labels convey the atmosphere of that time. They show how people were educated. The spirit of the era is palpable. In the past, there was such a variety of matchbox labels that people's collections numbered up to 250,000 items! The label area was a canvas for imagination and illustration of the merits of technical achievements, awards, and other accomplishments. Matchbox labels also feature numerous images of cultural monuments, plots from folklore or classical literary works, photographs of prominent contemporary figures, portraits of many figures in science and art, images of works of art, national ornaments, historical scenes, and images of toys. Often, matchbox labels depict representatives of flora and fauna. Proverbs, slogans, sayings, calls to action, and warnings related to the real danger of fire are not uncommon on matchbox labels.

We hope that V.F. Kolesinsky's collection will arouse great interest in both adults and children. This exhibition is diverse in its themes, just like the matchbox label itself, issued by various factories in the USSR, the Polish People's Republic, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, the Republic of Belarus, and Russia.

Kolesinsky Valery Frantsevich

was born in Minsk and graduated from the Belarusian State Academy of Arts with a degree in "Sculpture." He works in monumental, easel, and memorial sculpture, and medal art.

Since 1992, Valery Frantsevich has been participating in art exhibitions. He is a member of the Belarusian Union of Artists and the Belarusian Numismatic Society, and a board member of the Belarusian Republican Public Association of Collectors. He collects matchboxes and labels, with a collection numbering over a thousand items.