Amongst some of the antique bric a brac in Napier, I came across a basket full of old cigarette cards.
The first cigarette cards appeared in cigarette packs from 1875, to stiffen the packs and be used as advertising. The cards were typically of a set of 25 or 50 and the idea would be to collect a set, very popular by the working class children in London.
I love the ones I found, of a series 'Children of all Nations' from a British Tobacco Company of 1925. Amusing to see how the UK viewed the world and also some seriously non pc slants....
The South African child is pictured as 'Natal' - on the back - the Zulu children of Natal are brown, being darker than others but none are quite black. They are not unkindly treated, but are made to assist their mothers in hoeing weeds from the maize patch and in gathering ripe cobs. These are ground into meal, which together with curdled milk forms the cheif food of the boys and girls, the fresh milk being reserved for very young children.
The american children are noted as being obnoxious, while the Brazilian children need to be beaten by their grandfathers, cut on their arms to ensure good hunting skills and bitten by ants without complaining...
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| The not badly treated (obviously suprising) Zulu child |
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| The Australian 'Black Fellow', the Hong Kong Coolie and the South African Settler |
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| The caterpillar eating Congelese, who play a game with a big nut that resembles lawn tennis |
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| The obnoxious and boysterious american child |
Im not sure what I'll do with these...Im sure i'll find a use at some point.
1 comment:
The cigarette cards are fascinating - and amusing! What a find.
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