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