Ever-Ready Battery Box

Ever-Ready

In 1909, a Belgian chemist named Leo Baekeland created the first entirely synthetic plastic—and it revolutionised the way many consumer goods were manufactured. Baekeland called his plastic “Bakelite. Its properties made it suited for a much wider variety of purposes than its predecessors. For example, it was resistant to heat and would not conduct electricity, so it was a really good insulator—which made it particularly useful in the automotive and electrical industries emerging in the early 1900s.
Like many modern plastics, Bakelite was lightweight and durable, and it could be molded into nearly infinite shapes, so its use quickly expanded as manufacturers realized its potential. Consumers primarily were attracted to its aesthetic qualities: a sleek, stylish look coupled with a substantial, high-end feel.
This box was sold by Ever Ready to hold batteries possibly for a battery powered radio.
The box was donated by the RAA Curator