Het Behouden Blik

The tins were made to get consumers to buy products; they were advertisements. “They became part of family life and provide fond memories these days,” explains Van de Wal. The decorations and graphic designs on the tin boxes captured the socio-economic state of Dutch society at that time. The designs even inspired their own artistic term: the Droste effect. Dutch cocoa producer Droste became famous for this effect, which involves a picture appearing within itself, thanks to its boxes featuring a nurse carrying a serving tray with a cup of cocoa and a box with the same image.