Now yesterday we promised you a bit of a surprise with our next card, and here it is!
But first, this set was issued in 1925, which was the year that saw the return of the illuminations. They were also much larger, running along the Promenade for several miles.
However there was still no celebrity switching them on - not until 1934.
If you look at the pair in the newsletter it is actually easier, as you can just flick the page up and down, and when you do you will see that today`s card is identical to yesterday`s except for the fact that it has been coloured.
Now before you think that this was done by hand, here is the listing for both sets from our original Gallaher reference book, issued in 1944 :
1923. 100 INTERESTING VIEWS (titled series). Size 2 1/2" x 1 1/2". Numbered 1-100. REAL PHOTOGRAPHS. Fronts, toned black and white, glossy finish. "Gallaher`s Cigarettes" in wide margins, subjects titled. Backs, printed in black, "100 Designs", no descriptions, inscribed "A real smoke Gallaher`s Rich Dark Honey Dew Tobacco, " etc. Produced by Phillip G. Hunt & Co., London.
1925. 100 INTERESTING VIEWS (titled series). Size 2 1/2" x 1 1/2". Numbered 1-100. REAL PHOTOGRAPHS. Fronts, toned black and white, dull finish, and hand-coloured (by stencils) in various colours. Subjects titled. Backs, printed in black, "100 Designs", no descriptions, inscribed "A real smoke Gallaher`s Rich Dark Honey Dew Tobacco, " etc. Produced by Associated Photographic Printers, London.
I cannot find Associated Photographic Printers, but this card is also number 84 and some people firmly believe that the remainders were sent off to them to be hand coloured, in an attempt to make them more modern. However this cannot be correct because if you look at the description above you will see that the black and white cards were glossy, and the hand-coloured cards were specially produced in a matt format. You see, to this day, colourists and painters of photographs prefer a matt surface. which not only avoids the glare when you look at the image in the light, but also means that the colour does not slide about before it has dried.
In our original World Tobacco Issues Index this fact is also mentioned, for the set is listed as :
INTERESTING VIEWS. Sm. Photos. Nd. (100).
A. Uncoloured, glossy
B. Hand-coloured, matt.
This wording is slightly different in our updated version though, as it replaces "uncoloured" with B & W