"Palace of Electricity, St. Louis World's Fair" Matchsafe, 1904 (CH 18503861) (cropped)

The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, commonly known as the Saint Louis World's Fair of 1904, was the last great international exposition before World War I. The fair, built on a 1,200 acre site, included hundreds of thousands of objects, people, animals, displays, and publications from 62 exhibiting countries and 43 of the 45 states. The setting of world records, such as the largest organ, and working displays of every important technological advance were significant design goals. The Fair was a combination of trade show, civic showpiece, and monument to culture, along with more than a tinge of American pride. The Fair showcased the grandiose ambition of the gilded age, forming a kind of collective tribute to the nineteenth century's international understanding of the furtherance of peace, prosperity, and progress. It's a grand snapshot in time of American and foreign societies as they wished to portray themselves.

Pocket match safes, called pocket vestas in England, were designed to safely hold early friction matches, which were known to ignite unexpectedly when carried loosely in the pocket or purse. Although these handy containers are rarely seen today, from 1850 to 1915 match safes were extremely popular. Since the match safe cut across every segment of society, from nobility on down to the ordinary workingman, it is no surprise that these convenient cases ranged from the fabulous and elegant to the absurdly cheap and vulgar. These forgotten pieces of history can be found in a wide variety of materials – from inexpensive tin and brass to platinum, gold and silver, even exotic materials like ivory, tortoise shell, and mother of pearl. Today, as was true in their heyday, the most coveted match safes are those created by brilliant designers like Tiffany, Gorham, and Fabergé. From advertisements and souvenirs to highly collectible enamels to multi-function match safes to those embellished with jewels and designed by the finest craftsman, The Knohl Collection, with approximately 21,000 pieces, currently has the largest known accumulation of match safes in the world.