For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with two things:  anything having to do with Japan, and ….uhh…..fire.

Yeah, that’s right.

So naturally, when I came across the Match World Virtual Museum site, a site showcasing Japanese matchbox art from the past hundred years, I was intrigued.  In addition to being a Japanophile and a pyromaniac, I’m also a graphic designer, so I really got a kick out of browsing through a hundred years worth of tiny graphic design.  I’ve attached a few samples for your viewing pleasure but there are loads more over at the virtual museum.

Don’t worry, they’re not all black and red and printed on natural cardboard backgrounds like the ones I’ve shown here, that’s just my own personal design aesthetic, so those were the ones I gravitated to.

Am I the only one that thinks some of these would look awesome on t-shirts?

[source=Museum of Online Museums]