Robert Opie is a name familiar to many of us as a consumer historian and through the wonderful range of products now in the shops bearing the best of advertising and slogans from the past. But it wasn’t always this way.
Opie came from a family of collectors; his father Peter collected books about children’s life and literature (a collection now in the Bodlean Library) and his mother, Iona, is a leading authority on European folklore, children’s street culture and nursery rhymes. Between them they amassed an astonishing collection of children’s books, toys and games.
Robert had had the bog-standard collections as a child such as stamps and coins, but he wanted to find something different and more individual. It all began with a packet of Munchies (purchased at Inverness railway station in 1963) when he was sixteen and he soon realized that it was possible to find earlier examples of packaging and products.
He began to collect everything he could find relating to consumer culture; cigarette packets, cereal boxes, tins, cartons, and this soon developed into a deeper interest in the origin and development of brands and advertising.
For many years the collection was kept at his own house, but it soon became impossible to maintain. In 1984 it moved to the Museum of Advertising and Packaging in Gloucester, but in time, with a collection of over 12,000 items, the size and scope of the collection was proving to be a logistical and financial nightmare. By 2001 it looked in serious danger of being sold off piecemeal as no-one seemed to have the foresight, or the money, to back this incredibly important social treasure trove.
Then, in 2005, the independent branding consultancy pi global got on board and began the arduous work of fundraising and getting the company charitable status. The collection was then moved to their premises in London and became The Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising.
The American businessman, David Ogilvy stated “Advertising reflects the mores of society, but it does not influence them”. Packaging gives a remarkable insight into the motivations of society and an inkling of where it is psychologically and socially rooted. Opie comments “When the thousands of pieces of our social history are assembled into some giant jigsaw, the picture becomes clearer as to the remarkable journey we have all come through. I don’t see them as individual collections – they are one entity. So, it’s like putting a jigsaw together. There are potentially a million items in this jigsaw and I’ve got half. It’s selecting the items that fit together so the museum is laid out so that every part connects to the next part. It’s only when you get enough pieces together that you can actually see the whole picture”.
If you can’t manage to get to the Museum, the next best thing is to collect his gorgeous Scrapbooks, which currently range from The Victorian to The 1970’s. These are eye-wateringly sumptuous picture books arranged by subject with handwritten explanatory and introductory notes. They make great presents.
Opie is often asked whether he has a favourite item or something he is desperate to get his hands on. He is always on the lookout for rare items. Oxo packets are rare as no-one bothers to save them and he is desperate for a tin of wartime Spam. If anyone has one lurking at the back of the cupboard, please send it to him (and make sure you tell him the Wartime Housewife sent you!). My Aunty MacHaggis had a cupboard full of ration tins until about 20 years ago – butter, milk etc and I’m sure there was a tin of Spam. God forgive me, I threw them away. I was young.
As for the future of the museum, Opie would like to include examples from the Egyptians and Romans. They had pots, containers and toys and the story of consumer products goes back further than one might think.
For myself, I am just so happy that this remarkable man is finally making some proper wonga from a passion which will continue to benefit, not just the social historians, artists and advertisers, but anyone who has an interest in social history. Or just appreciates a nice piece of packaging.
Wartime Housewife 