Summary

Part of a set of cutlery purchased by Kath Davis for her glory box through British Products (a kind of lay-by system whereby girls paid off selected items on a monthly basis. Names were drawn out each month and the 'lucky' girls would receive their goods with no further payments required).

Kath Davis began collecting items for her glory box when she started work at 17, living with her parents in Traralgon, and had competed her collection by around 1940. This cutlery set was one of the first items she acquired for her box.

Physical Description

Two table knives, unserrated, Sheffield steel with bone handles (originally white). inscribed with "Sheffield made" and crown logo

Significance

Glory boxes represented a significant rite of passage for many women growing up before, during and after World War Two. They provide a material symbol through which can be explored themes of artistry, sexuality, economy and cultural maintenance. Of particular interest is how glory boxes can be used to track the growing consumer culture after World War Two and how there was a shift from the hand made to the mass produced. The traditions cross time and cultures.

Kath Davis's box is significant for the strength of its documented story, and for its completeness in terms of survival of both the box and its collection.

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