So onwards to clue two. And this second clue was the picture, which shows an Arab Sheik. And moving swiftly on, past several changes of name, two wives, and several other films that increased his fan base, in 1921 Valentino was cast as Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan in a film called The Sheik. This was based on a book by a British writer called Edith Maud Henderson, who wrote under her married name of Edith Maud (or E.M.) Hull. In reality she was a pig farmer`s wife.
The Sheik was pure escapism. A young lady went off into the desert and was captured by a Sheik, who at first treated her badly, which she secretly liked, and eventually they became lovers. It was the sort of film that would have failed dismally had the star not been so handsome and magnetic, but suddenly everyone wanted to run off to the desert and be captured by him, and so his fan base increased. It was the perfect film at the perfect time. And it also created a side industry of film tie ins, much as today, with all manner of memorabilia being sold. There was even a hit song, "The Sheik of Araby", created in 1921 by Harry Smith, Francis Wheeler, and Ted Snyder.
Both our original and our updated World Tobacco Issues Indexes describe this as
section 2, General European Issues, inscribed "M. Melachrino & Co. Ltd, London and Geneva. Series titles in German and French, text in German only. Issued in Malta and elsewhere about the 1920s.
M84-3
Exotische Volker or Peuples Exotiques (Strange Races). Sm. 59 x 40.
Three series, each Nd. 1/52.
1. "1 Serie"
2. "2 Serie"
3. "3 Serie"See RB.21/616.7
RB.21 is our British American Tobacco Reference Book, and 616 is right at the very back, in fact the last entry is 619. It describes the set as :
Peuples Exotiques or Exotische Volker (Strange Races). Small cards, size 59 x 40 m/m. Front is in colour, thin board. Back in black with text in German, other detail in French and German. Three numbered series. Melachrino issues.
616.1. Series 1, inscribed at top "1 Serie". Series of 52
616.2. Series 1, inscribed at top "2 Serie". Series of 52
616.3. Series 1, inscribed at top"3 Serie". Series of 52Some of the pictures recur in the Cia Chilena Series under item 573.
So off to 573, and this is Compania Chilena de Tabacos, Valparaiso, Chile, and just like Melachrino, they were an associate of British American Tobacco. Item 573 is a set called "Revista del Mundo" (World Review). They are described as "small cards, size 58 x 40 m/m. Front is coloured letterpress, each card inscribed "Cigarillos 43". Back in black with descriptive text . Cia Chilena issue (South America). Numbered series, marked "Serie 43" to "Serie 104", each series consisting of three cards, inscribed "Estampa 1" to "Estampa 3". Some of the subjects recur in the Melachrino series under item 616"
And now, over to you, should you know if this card is one of those cards that so recur...?