Those who follow this blog know that the majority of the images featured come from our collection of postcards and magazines from the twenties and thirties. Collecting is fun, but storing collections can be a bit problematic. For instance, the postcards all fit in 6 shoe boxes, but the magazines take several bookshelves. Now this is nothing compared to those who collect say, tin robots (we do) or antique steam engines (we don't). So what is the answer for the film buff that would like to have a bit of history, but lives in a small, overpriced walk-up. Cigarette cards, that's the answer, inexpensive, small and fairly easy to find. If I had to guess, you could fit several hundred in one shoe box.
Cigarette cards (think baseball cards, without the gum, but with the nicotine) were immensely popular from the turn of the century right up through the 1960's. Their real heyday however, was in the twenties and thirties. English and German tobacco companies in particular produced hundreds of card sets, covering all kinds of topics from famous boxers, to military figures, to breeds of dogs and thankfully, films and actors and actresses. The images below represent a cross section of the cards you can still find for sale, as complete sets or individual items. Some of the cards have an adhesive backing (you have to wet them) because the companies also sold albums to mount the cards - hey, collect'em all! One card came with each pack of cigarettes, so you could be huffing and puffing quite a long time to complete a set.
All the following cards were produced in the late twenties through 1939.
Click on the images for a larger view, but remember these cards are actually only about 1.5 x 3 inches, so they weren't meant for close inspection. They do look quite charming when paired in a small frame.
John Player produced many different sets of cards and even hired their own artists to produce the portraits. Note the comment about the adhesive back.
From a series of 48 cards produced by Park Drive, a Gallaher Ltd company
Carreras and others used real photographs, which was probably much cheaper because the images were supplied by the studios. They also sold albums for housing your collection.
From the third series of film stars by John Player
The German cards I have seen all use photographic images.
There were a number of series featuring film scenes or film partners.
Here are two cards from a series that is very similar to the one above, but I guess they gave the series a different name to help keep the interest of the buyer.
This is the cover of a German album that was sold to house cards from Hansom cigarettes.
Interior spread from the Hansom album - 162 cards in total.
Player or some third party also offered the cards framed and ready to hang. The cards themselves are from 1939, but the frame was offered much later.
Picture Play magazine April 1930 - Artist: Modest Stein
Picture Play magazine September 1931 - Artist: Modest Stein
Postcard for The Woman in His House. Don't know that film? It is actually the British title for The Animal Kingdom (1932) and this is a British postcard.
Screenland magazine December 1934 - Artist: Charles Sheldon
Two more reasons to smoke Gallaher and Player brands.
Myrna's life as a blonde vamp, late twenties I believe.
