Mandarin Restaurant Matchbook
Mandarin Restaurant Matchbook
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- Description
- Original silky-textured, metallic-red matchbook from The Mandarin, in San Francisco, California, a restaurant owned by Cecilia Chiang. Features the restaurant’s original logo, in black, of a Chinese woman in Qing dynasty regalia, framed within a circular design.
- In black lettering, the back of the matchbook says “SAN FRANCISCO AND BEVERLY HILLS.” In the bottom left-hand corner is a drawing of a telephone with, “673-8812—SAN FRANCISCO,” “272-0267—BEVERLY HILLS,” to the right of the drawing.
- A matchbook is a small paper board folder to encompass a quantity of matches. The manufacturing of matchbooks peaked in the 1940s and 1950s, but declined with the arrival of the lighter. Matchbooks serve as a popular form of advertisement for an establishment. They have become a popular customer freebie at a dine-in restaurant. Cecilia Chiang offered matchbooks at her restaurant The Mandarin, with a customized logo and name. Although the ban on smoking in restaurants was placed into effect in 1998, making the ashtray more insignificant in the restaurant setting, matchbooks have not declined in restaurant culture but have gained popularity.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- Matchbook
- matchbook
- Measurements
- overall:.7 cm x 5 3/32 in x 5 3/32 in; 9/32 in x 12.954 cm x 12.954 cm
- ID Number
- 2011.0115.05
- catalog number
- 2011.0115.05
- accession number
- 2011.0115
- Credit Line
- Cecilia Chiang
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Asian Pacific American Business
- Food
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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