Card of the Day - 2022-06-25

We started with this card, which gave us a lot of Wimbledon associations, for it is a “game”, part of a full “set”, and this is Mrs “Match”, the footballer`s wife, as they used to be, rather than they are now. So here she is, dutifully washing his kit, smoking as she works, and I do like those giant boots you can see poking out from beneath her skirt. I am pretty sure I would find her easier to talk to as well, for I know little of designer names, etc.

I am not sure that there is any way you could tie her striped blue and white blouse to a team, but interestingly the water in the tub is the same colour. This card was released just after the 1925 F.A. Cup, which was played at Wembley on Saturday 25th April 1925 and was contested by Sheffield United (in red and white stripes) and Cardiff City (in solid blue). Sheffield won 1 – 0. Any suggestions?

This card is from one of the Carreras card game sets which were issued in the mid 1920s, and these were a cross between a cigarette card and a playing card. In fact this set was the first of the pictorial playing card sets ever to be issued. It never had an instruction leaflet, as some of the others did, but I suppose the method of playing the game was relatively easy and pretty well known. 

And do note that this set is called Happy Family rather than the more usual Happy Families.