Scrapbook Notebook Series Scrapbook #1 | Page 18

A Living Scrapbook
Victoria Pearce takes a
journey through illustration
of the past at the Museum of
Brands and reflects on the
changing roles of illustration.
Tucked away at the end of Colville Mews in Notting Hill, next to fashion
designer Alice Temperley’s sumptuous purple-painted HQ, the Museum
of Brands, Packaging and Advertising is conveniently located for any
retro enthusiast visiting Portobello Market.

Photograph by Paul Forrester. Copyright © Robert Opie

Events Manager Francesca Stracqualursi shows me around the lifetime
collection of one man, historian Robert Opie, featuring over 12,000
original items; packaging, posters, ads, fashions, toys and games.
My journey through the ‘time tunnel’ begins in Victorian times and
I spend half an hour wandering through successive decades until I
emerge into the present day. I could easily spend an hour in each decade
as there is so much to see in each display case; Lyons, Oxo, Lyles Golden
Syrup, Kelloggs, Ty-Phoo, Bournville, Heinz, Jacob, Fairy, Brylcreem,
Ponds, Guinness; all the brands are here. What makes it fascinating is to
see the progression of their brand identities and of course the evocation
of my 1970s childhood and long forgotten visits to grandparents; the
scent of Palmolive soap is forever associated with my Grandma’s
laundry. My Great Uncle and Aunt ran a bicycle shop in the Cotswolds
during the 1930s so Raleigh’s advertising and enamel signs relating to
the sport are of particular interest.
As an illustrator’s agent, I’m particularly drawn to the era between
the wars, 1920-1940, due to the sheer scale of illustration which was
used both within the design of a product or brand’s packaging and its
advertising. This surely must have been a golden age for the artists and
illustrators of the day?
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