Albert Heijn Coffee Tin

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Identifier

TBAFB0052

Title

Albert Heijn Coffee Tin

Description

Rectangular metal tin designed and sold by Albert Heijn, originally used to contain coffee powder. The left and back panels of the tin are decorated with scenes from the Dutch colonies, with the left panel showing a coffee plantation scene with colonial workers picking the coffee beans with a large plantation house in the background - above this scene is the name of the company "Albert Heijn in golden lettering, below is a tile image of two indigenous women in traditional garb. On the front panel is a scene from a colonial settlement showing a train in the midde of the image with indigenous labourers surrounding it. They carry sacks of goods from the train to the trade ships docked in the harbour, with other workers sitting around, resting, and shrowding from the heat. In the foreground a European couple dressed in fancy period clothing stand - observing the workers. Below this is a sub-panel showing a steamboat trader with two indigenous women in the foreground, one is naked, the other is carrying fruit atop her head. On the rear panel, a coffee lounge is depicted, with three European gentlemen posing around an expresso machine, drinking coffee. The figures of a woman and a porter are found in the background, with the young porter appearing to be carrying something heavy, clearly exerting himself. Beneath this image is a smaller sub-panel showing a delivery van with its driver standing infront of it. On the right panel, a shop scene is depicted with a proprietor and a female buyer. Below them is another sub-panel showing an elaborately dressed woman drinking what can be assumed to be - coffee. All sides are decorated with a art-nouveau style bordering with coffee-bean plants, vines, and flowers.The top of the lid shows the crest of the company "Albert Heijn, Sinds 1895, Koffiebranders" surrounding an image of Alber Heijn himself in the centre.

Creator

Albert Heijn

Type

Metal Tin

Relation

Facing Blackness is a multimedia exhibition that takes the public through the obscure history of portraying Black people from the colonial period to contemporary society. Using unique archive material and visual art, we show how anti-black racism became part of the Dutch 'cultural archive' and our everyday ideas, customs and utensils. On the other hand, the exhibition shows how there has always been 'everyday resistance' to various forms of racism and how Black people themselves have given and continue to give meaning to their culture and identity.

Source

The Black Archives

Format

Coffee Tin

Subject

Plantation Worker, Indigenous Woman, European Woman, Indigenous Man, European Man, Porter, Albert Heijn, Delivery Van Driver, Train Driver, Shopkeeper

Coverage

Ship, Steamboat, Train, Sacks, Hat, Wagon, Dress, Suit, Umbrella, Basket, Fruit, Palm Tree, Rope, Colony, Blanket, Wrap, Coffee Plant, Plantation, Donkey, Coffee Beans, Expresso Machine, Cup, Scoop, Pipes, Lights, Dress, Pocket-Watch, Hat, Shoes, Vase, Van, Coat, Factory, Vines, Flowers, Jars, Wine, Cheese, Wickerbasket

Date

c.1970s

Physical Dimensions

12x9.5x18

Country of Production

Netherlands

Place of Production

Amsterdam

Keywords

Coffee, Plantation, Fruit, Workers, Caricature, Colonialism, Advertising, Technology, Commercialism, Trade, Exploitation, Nature

Rightholder

Albert Heijn

Archived By

Richard Weaver

Bibliography

https://www.retro-en-design.co.uk/a-47995176/a-r-c-h-i-v-e-sold-out/vintage-tin-by-albert-heijn-koffiebranders-sinds-1895/#description; https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305739602_Moralizing_Postcolonial_Consumer_Society_Fair_Trade_in_the_Netherlands_1964-1997

Citation

Albert Heijn, “Albert Heijn Coffee Tin,” The Black Archives, accessed March 29, 2024, https://collection.theblackarchives.nl/items/show/3486.
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