Queen Victoria 1900 Chocolate Tin (15 x 9 cm) with original (but now inedible!) contents marked FRY.

Queen Victoria 1900 Chocolate Tin (15 x 9 cm) with original (but now inedible!) contents marked FRY.

In 1899 Queen Victoria decided to send chocolate, a luxury item for most in those days, to her troops serving in South Africa as a New Year’s gift for 1900. The manufacturer, Cadbury, which since 1854 had a Royal Warrant to supply Queen Victoria with cocoa and chocolate, was asked to produce the royal bars, packed in individual tins. This put Richard and George Cadbury in a dilemma: being Quakers they were pacifists and did not agree with the war.

However, they could not refuse a request from the Queen, and, to prevent their rivals from accusing them of going against their principles, Richard and George invited fellow Quaker chocolate makers, Joseph Storrs Fry and Joseph Rowntree, to a partnership to complete the order. The tins were made in two different sizes: one type is 15×9 cm with two layers of chocolate while a slightly thinner tin measured 16×8 cm with one layer.

The design on the lid of both sizes is the same: in the middle a gold-coloured embossed likeness of Queen Victoria; to the left the Royal Cipher; to the right the words South Africa 1900 with "I wish you a happy New Year" and "Victoria"  in her handwriting along the bottom. The companies wanted the tins to carry no brand name. However, the Queen insisted that the troops must know that she was sending them quality British chocolate. As a compromise, the manufacturer’s name appeared on the chocolate but the tins remained unbranded.

Please see the following pictures.

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