This colorful icon was decorated and adorned with matchstick designs by an inmate at the Prison of Rhodes.
Prison art made by incarcerated men and women usually took the form of keepsakes such as this one. Although the rise of other forms of entertainment in prisons, such as television, phone contact with loved ones, and electronic games, has caused a decline in traditional prison activities such as decorated handkerchiefs and illustrated letters, other traditional pastimes like soap carving and matchstick modeling still persist. Match manufacturers still produce uncoated, headless matches specifically for the prison model-making market. Most prison canteens sell bags of these, as well as plastic match trimmers which have allowed for art made out of matches to continue to thrive. Art production was also common in American prisons and in the late nineteenth century many prisons created woodworking shops where prisoners could create embellished furniture and boxes.