Basically, sets of small collectible cards were printed, and individual cards were distributed in a pack of cigarettes. The goal was to collect a complete set (usually 50, but they did vary), and affix them in a small album. Sometimes, the cards would be mounted and framed, and put on display. The subjects would vary, and could be anything from movie stars to sports figures, and from flowers to military uniforms. One set I had was pictures of different air raid precautions in use during the Second World War! On the back of the card was a short description or biography.
It wasn't only cigarettes; tea companies did the same thing. Today, I am going to focus on one such set; Famous People 1869-1969 : 50 of the Greatest Britons. The cards were issued by the Brooke Bond tea company in 1969, and again, I had this very set.
At various times over the coming months, I will be discussing some of the subjects in much greater depth, but for the moment, I am just posting the list of who they thought were 50 of the Greatest Britons. In fact, there are a total of 52 individuals listed...
Lord Shaftesbury (1801-1885) - Politician and Social Reformer
Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-1873) - Artist and Sculptor
Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) - Poet
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) - Naturalist
Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) - Politician
William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1908) - Politician
Charles Dickens (1812-1870) - Author
David Livingstone (1813-1873) - Missionary and Explorer
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) - Nurse
Lord Lister (1827-1912) - Surgeon and Medical Pioneer
William Booth (1829-1912) - Founder of the Salvation Army
Lewis Carroll (1823-1898) - Author
General Charles Gordon (1833-1885) - Army Officer and Administrator
Sir William Gilbert (1836-1911) - Dramatist and Librettist
Sir Arthur Sullivan (1843-1900) - Composer
Thomas Barnardo (1845-1905) - Philanthropist
W.G. Grace (1848-1915) - Cricketer
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) - Author
Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902) - Businessman and Politician
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) - Author
James Keir Hardie (1856-1915) - Politician and Labour Leader
Lord Baden-Powell (1857-1941) - Founder of the Scout Movement
Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934) - Composer
Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928) - Political Activist
David Lloyd-George (1863-1945) - Politician
Edith Cavell (1865-1915) - Nurse
H.G. Wells (1866-1946) - Author
Robert Falcon Scott (1868-1912) - Polar Explorer
Sir Harry Lauder (1870-1950) - Singer and Entertainer
Ralph Vaughan-Williams (1872-1958) - Composer
Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) - Politician
Lord Nuffield (1877-1963) - Motor Manufacturer and Philanthropist
Augustus John (1878-1961) - Artist
Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961) - Conductor
Sir Alexander Fleming (1881-1955) - Biologist and Pharmacologist
Baron Birkett of Ulverston (1883-1962) - Barrister, Judge, and Politician
Field Marshall Viscount Montgomery (1887-1976) - Army Officer
John Logie Baird (1888-1946) - Engineer and Inventor
T.E. Lawrence (1888-1935) - Army Officer
Sir Charles Chaplin (1889-1977) - Actor and Comedian
Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900-1979) - Naval Officer and Statesman
Sir Francis Chichester (1901-1972) - Yachtsman
Amy Johnson (1903-1941) - Aviator
Sir Laurence Olivier (1907-1989) - Actor
Sir Frank Whittle (1907-1996) - Engineer and Inventor
Dame Alicia Markova (1910-2004) - Ballerina
Kathleen Ferrier (1912-1954) - Singer
Sir Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) - Composer
Sir Stanley Matthews (1915-2000) - Footballer
Sir Alf Ramsey (1922-1999) - Footballer and Football Manager
Pat Smythe (1928-1996) - Showjumper
Sir Roger Bannister (1929- ) Athlete and Doctor
John Everett Millais: Alfred Tennyson
by freeparking is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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