Mid 19th Century Match Holder / "Go To Bed" In Lignum Vitae Wood With Screw Lid & striking Paper to Underside

Mid 19th Century match holder / "Go To Bed" in Lignum Vitae wood with screw Lid and striking paper to underside.

These small containers started to appear soon after the invention of the striking or friction match in 1826. Matches were stored inside and lit using the striking paper on the underside. The match could also be placed on the top and used to melt wax or used as a go to bed providing just enough light for the user to make it to their bed.

The first successful friction match was invented in 1826 by John Walker, an English chemist and druggist from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham. They consisted of wooden splints or sticks of cardboard coated with sulfur and tipped with a mixture of sulfide of antimony, chlorate of potash, and gum. These matches were not entirely reliable and had a habit of releasing flaming fireballs across the room when the head separated from the body of the match. In 1832, William Newton patented the "wax vesta" in England. It consisted of a wax stem that embedded cotton threads and had a tip of phosphorus.