A collection of 16 John Player's and Sons Cigarette Cards from the series of 25 cards called "Past and Present" from 1916. The collection is paying homage to actors and stage performers both contemporary and from the past.
The front of the card has the image of the actor and the reverse contains text giving biographical detail about the subject.
In 1877 John Player bought William Wright's tobacco business and naming it John Player & Sons.
Player's were one of the first UK tobacco companies to include sets of general interest cards in their packs of cigarettes. These cards were generally produced in sets of 25 to 50 and have since become highly collectable. John Player & Sons issued more than 200 sets of cards and some were reprinted in the 1990s.
Chronological according to series number on card. Some cards are missing but may also have not been collected.
Open and available for access. Please contact the De Montfort University Archive to make an appointment.
Catalogued to item level.
The cards were originally mounted onto card. The glue used has degraded and the cards are stained on the back, the text is still legible apart from 2 cards in particular.
Catalogued by Steven Peachey, Archives Assistant, June 2016.
Reproduction may be carried out for private research purposes only, dependent on the condition of the individual item.
