Wednesday 17 December 2014

Ogden's Cigarettes - Lady Cricket & Football Team


c. 1889
Lady Cricket & Football Team (Ogden's Cigarettes)
N463 Sports Girls (Old Port Plug Tobacco)
C190 Sports and Chorus Girls (Gloria Cigarettes/American Tobacco Co.)
Sports Girls (A. & G. Cameron & Sizer)
Gloria Cigarettes/American Tobacco Co. Ltd., Montreal
A. & G. Cameron & Sizer, Richmond, VA.
Old Port Plug Tobacco
D. Buchner & Co.
12 cards (1  Football)

I know very little about these cards and I'm including everything that I've got in this one post, rather than separate everything out into smaller ones. But while writing this I am still unsure how best to present the photos and information.
I'm not sure but I think the images used on these cards come from Victorian 'scraps' issued by Raphael Tuck. I showed two sheets of footballers in a previous post earlier this year - Raphael-Tuck-Sons-Die-Cut-Scraps. They were printed in Germany and sold in the U.K. and North America.
A number of cigarette companies then used these images on their cigarette cards. Ogden's Cigarettes issued what is thought to be a set of 12 cards - 6 cricketers and 6 footballers. There seem to be four (or five) rugby players and one (or two) footballers.
In The U.S.A. some of the Old Port Plug cards have blank backs and shopkeepers would stamp their own details on the back. One example shown here is by A.R. Shirk of Denver, Penn.
UPDATE (19/12/2014):  I would like to thank David Thompson for the scans of the six postcards shown here and can bee seen in all their glory here - Ogden's Cigarettes - Lady Cricket & Football Team (02) - Postcards. I would also like to thank Steve F. for the other new illustrations.
UPDATE (19/12/2014):  Just added a new card issued by D. Buchner & Co. in 1888.
UPDATE (20/12/2014):  Thanks to exdrummer on the CigaretteCardCollecting forum, who has informed me that there are three different 'backs' for this set. I'm still trying to track down an image of the checklist back.
UPDATE (22/12/2014):  Chris Corner has very kindly sent in a scan of the Morning Glory Maidens' Checklist back, which he obtained from the Cartophilic Society of Great Britian reference book RB151 - North American Tobacco Issues. I'd also like to thank Steve F. (CigaretteCardCollecting forum) for the scan of the Cricket card from the same collection.
UPDATE (13-03-2023 00:12):  Two more images added - both sides of a Die-Cut Scrap - Lady Cricket & Football Team.
UPDATE (25-06-2023 14:24):  Three more images added - front and (blank) back of the Cameron & Sizer card, Mustn't touch it with the hands, plus Line up, girls, mark your men.
UPDATE (24-11-2023 17:20):  Two Ogden's Cigarettes Lady Cricket and Football Team cards added - Football (A Forward) and Cricket (The Grace of the Eleven).
UPDATE (09-02-2024 17:56):  Scans of the Ogden's Cigarettes card Our Wicketkeeper added.

Ogden's Cigarettes  -  Illustrations 1 & 2
Lady Cricket & Football Team
Fronts inscribed 'Ogden's Cigarettes' at the top of the front, captions at the base.
Backs headed 'OGDENS GOLD MEDAL CIGARETTES' with seven brands listed - 'SILVER VEIL, SWEET HYACINTH, HONOUR BRIGHT, SHORT AND SWEET, FRUIT AND HONEY, TURKISH PATROL, ROYAL NAVY CUT'
UK issue

Ogden's Cigarettes  -  Illustration 3
Lady Cricket & Football Team
Fronts inscribed 'Ogden's Cigarettes' at the base of the front,  no captions.
Backs inscribed 'On the reverse side is a portrait of one of the Lady Cricket and Football Team, contemplating visiting India to compete against the English and Native Clubs. Packets of  Ogdens' Cigarettes contain the portraits of all the members of the team', Backs also inscribed 'Agent's for India. G. Cox and Co. Calcutta.'
India issue

Ogden's Cigarettes - Otto de Rose Cigarettes  -  Illustration 4
Lady Cricket & Football Team
Fronts inscribed 'Ogden's' at the top of the front, 'Otto de Rose Cigarettes' at the base.
Backs in brown advertising 'Otto-de-Rose Cigarettes'
UK issue

Ogden's Cigarettes - large postcard size  -  Illustrations 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10
Lady Cricket & Football Team
Front of each card inscribed with a different brand.
Must'nt touch it with the hands - Ogden's Fruit & Honey Tobacco & Cigarettes
Thanks to David Thompson (Ogdenscards) for the illustrations.

American Cigarette Co.
  -  Illustrations 11, 12 13 & 14
(C190) Sports and Chorus Girls.
Previously mentioned 12 cards plus 21 other subjects including jockeys and chorus girls.
a.  Inscribed 'Gloria Cigarettes'
b.  Inscribed 'Smoke Gloria Cigarettes'
Inscribed on the back 'THE LEADING and popular brands of CIGARETTES: SWEET CAPORAL. OLD JUDGE. GLORIA. SPECIAL FAVOURS. FULL DRESS. AMERICAN CIGARETTE CO. Sole Licensees and Manfrs. MONTREAL'
c.  Not inscribed on the front. Blank backs

A.G. Cameron & Sizer  -  Illustration 15, 16, 17 & 18
Sports Girls
12 cards as Ogdens

Raphael Tuck & Sons  -  Illustrations 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 & 24
Die-Cut Scraps - Lady Cricket & Football Team

Checklist

Football

A Forward (Rugby)
A good Back (Rugby or Football?)
A Place (Rugby)
Going to take a drop (Rugby)
Line up girls, mark your men (Rugby)
Mustn't touch it with the hands (Football)

Cricket

A Good Catch
Her Middle Stump
Our Bowler
Our Wicket Keeper
Play Up
The Grace of the Eleven

The illustrations of some of the American cards come from the Jefferson R. Burdick Collection held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Alan, I'm really interested in these cards and can see you've put a lot of work into finding out their story. Do you know if they were issued around the same time, and if so, what year? Was this the same for the British and American versions? Also you mention that illustration 3 is an India Issue, is that from extra information you've found or printed on the back of the card?
    My research is on the history of women playing rugby union and I find these cards fascinating - are they completely made up or based on a real team?! Any information you have could help me solve this mystery. Many thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lydia,

      Thank you for your comment, these cards fascinate me too. Nobody really knows the year of issue but 1889 seems to be the year mentioned most often. Illustration 3 comes from India because the back has the name of the Indian distributor (though I don't have a scan of the back of the card, which is a real shame). I don't think any of the illustrations are based on any real team. One card mentions a team of Women cricketers and footballers being assembled to tour India, but I don't think there is any truth in that. I can't find any reference to such a tour taking place. I think it was just a way of trying to make the cards more appealing.

      Kind regards,

      Alan

      Delete

Please feel free to leave a comment, though it will not appear straight away, as I will need to authorize it.