Card of the Day - 2022-05-22

Of course the clue here led you to the Bourbon biscuit, first sold in 1910 by Peek Freans of Bermondsey, London.

The name does actually reportedly refer to the Bourbons, French Royalty, and our card shows Isabella de Bourbon, the daughter of King Henry IV of France, who was married young to Phillip, who would become the King of Spain. At the top it says these were “From drawings by A K. MacDonald”; at the bottom it seems to suggest to me that this is a copy of a work by Velazquez. However on investigation the Velazquez painting shows a much older lady. 

By the way standard bourbon biscuits are usually vegan, but different flavours, or cheaper versions, might not be. Checking the ingredients will tell you this. 

This set was only issued in the large format. It first appears in our John Player Reference Book (RB.17) where it is described as : 

Large cards from drawings by A. K. MacDonald. Fronts in colour. Backs grey with descriptive text. Issued September 1937. 
A) Home Issue with I.T.C. Clause 
B) Channel Islands issue without I.T.C. Clause. 

Of course that clause is on the reverse - a single line of text below the bottom frameline.

This description is shortened by the time of our original World Tobacco Issues Index, to simply "Lg. Nd. (25) see RB.17/86A" - and for our updated version still more, to just "Lg. Nd. (25)". 

Tracking down our artist is proving a quest. The British Museum even admits that details are unknown, has no date of death, and seems to only know that they "Designed cigarette-cards for John Player and Sons".

However a bit of a hunt has turned up a bit more. We now know he was called Alistair K MacDonald, and he was born in 1880 in Buenos Aires. He then relocated to the Isle of Skye and regarded himself as a Scottish artist. You are most likely to find his works as book illustrations and magazine covers, for he mainly worked on a smaller scale.

In the 1920s he somehow became involved with Cunard, and they commissioned him to produce a range of original works for on board items, and stationery, including dinner menus. 

He was most fond of depicting beautiful ethereal ladies, often clad in the thinnest gossamer, in a kind of adult fairy tale style. Indeed one of his most famous series of illustrations was for a series of stories in the Strand magazine, later published as a book by Anthony Armstrong, called "The Naughty Princess" and published in 1945. He spoke of them as being "a wee bit saucy", which is rather fun, and shows his Scottishness. Another favourite item was a drawing for a magazine entitled "Nothing to Wear" . This page also contains links to some of his other artwork, dare I say, at the bottom...

He died in 1948.