Mrs. Steven's Seasonal Candy Tins
What Is It?
Premium boxed chocolates and fudge sold in decorative lithographed tins with seasonal and themed designs — including holiday motifs, floral patterns, and a special 1933 World's Fair edition.
History
Mrs. Steven's signature product was never a single candy — it was the experience of gifting and receiving her boxed chocolates in beautifully designed seasonal tins. Julia Krafft (née Clark) pioneered the use of decorative lithographed tin packaging for retail candy at a time when most confectioners used simple boxes or wrappers. The tins rotated with the seasons: spring floral designs, Christmas motifs, Valentine's Day themes. The most prized surviving example is the 1933 Century of Progress World's Fair edition, created for Chicago's landmark exposition. Inside the tins were hand-dipped chocolates and fudge made at the Humboldt Park factory. The tins were designed to be kept and reused — a deliberate strategy that made the Mrs. Steven's brand a recurring presence in Chicago households. Today, surviving Mrs. Steven's tins are sought by both candy memorabilia collectors and vintage tin lithography enthusiasts.