And here, for our third clue, we simply guided you "between" China and India, the two largest countries of Asia, towards the smaller ones which we will be dealing with this week. But we also hope to give you "a window" into that world.
This is a slightly less known one of those Sectional Series issued by W.D & H.O. Wills in 1930-31, though it is actually the first one in the series, and therefore becomes the home page for all.
The original work, showing a Puritan man sitting at a table between two fiery kitchen hands, was painted, in oils by Francis David Millet, in 1892. Today it is in the Tate Gallery as No.1611 - but you can also see it on several cigarette cards, including another set by W.D. & H.O. Wills, namely "Art Photogravures" (1912) 4/50. Now the reverse of that card is very poignant, because it was issued in 1912, and so on the reverse you will read "F.D. Millet was born in America, but has lived and worked principally in England". That means at the time of printing he was still alive - yet, that same year, he died, in the sinking of The Titanic.
There are many printings of this set, which are scattered about the website. This is the home page for them all, and it starts with a chart which will one day be the link to all of them, namely :
- "Between Two Fires". Wills Home Series No.1. - https://csgb.co.uk/cardoftheday/2023-07-17
- "The Boyhood of Raleigh". Wills Home Series No.2
- "Mother and Son". Wills Home Series No.3. - https://csgb.co.uk/cardoftheday/2022-03-22
- "The Toast". B.A.T. - Dar es Salaam address
- "The Toast". B.A.T. - Mombasa address
- "The Toast". B.A.T. - Nairobi address
- "The Toast". Guernsey Tobacco - black back
- "The Toast". Guernsey Tobacco - green back
- "The Toast". Wills Home Series No.4
- "The Toast". Wills Irish Series No.1 - Dublin Address
- "The Laughing Cavalier" Wills Home No.5 - no full stop
- "The Laughing Cavalier" Wills Home No.5 - with full stop - https://csgb.co.uk/cardoftheday/2025-09-21
- "The Laughing Cavalier" Wills Irish Series No.2
- "The Laughing Cavalier" Guernsey Tobacco
- "And When Did You Last See Your Father?". Wills Home No.6
- "And When Did You Last See Your Father?". Guernsey Tobacco
They all appear in our original Wills reference book part four, under :
A FAMOUS PICTURE .... Fronts printed by letterpress in colour. Complete sections form reproductions of celebrated pictures, and were exchangeable cor full size coloured prints, in accordance with a scheme detailed on the backs of the cards. Home issues
- 207. 48 "Between Two Fires". Home Series No.1. Backs in grey. Issued 1930.
- 208. 48 "The Boyhood of Raleigh". Home Series No.2. Backs in brown. Issued 1930.
- 209. 48. "Mother and Son". Home Series No.3. Backs in mauve. Issued 1931
- 210. 48. "The Toast". Backs in green. Issued 1931.
A. Home Series No.4
B. Irish Series No.1 - wording on back altered, Dublin Address
- 211. 48. "The Laughing Cavalier". Backs in blue. Issued 1931
A. Home Series No.5 :
(i) without fullstop after "5".
(ii) with fullstop after "5" and "Section No"
B. Irish Series No.2 - wording on back altered, Dublin Address
- 212. 48. "And When Did You Last See Your Father?". Home Series No.6. Backs in dark mauve. Issued 1932.
Series similar to items 210-212 were issued by Guernsey Tobacco Co.
The Guernsey version is a slightly different back, for one thing there is no "Series No" to the left hand side, only the section number to the right hand side. And though the text is the same until after the name and artist of the picture, below it all is new, and reads "In exchange for the complete set you will receive a print in full colours suitable for framing on application personally, or by writing to: "GIFTS", WATERLOO HOUSE, HIGH STREET. GUERNSEY TOBACCO COMPANY, LIMITED."
As far as the entry in RB.21, that only concerns the Guernsey issues, with the section on our set reading :
200-210. A FAMOUS PICTURE. The six Wills home issues and two Irish issues are recorded in W/207 to W/212. The B.A.T. printings are summarised below :
- 210-C. Guernsey Tobacco Co. issue - "The Toast". Back in (a) black (b) dark green
- 210-D. B.A.T. (East Africa) issue - "The Toast". Back with redemption addresses in Mombasa, Nairobi, and Dar es Salaam
- 211-C. Guernsey Tobacco Co. issue - "The Laughing Cavalier"
- 212-B. Guernsey Tobacco Co. Issue - "And When Did You Last See Your Father"
By the time of our original World Tobacco Issues Index, the entry for our set is much shortened, and you will find it listed under "F" rather than A :
A FAMOUS PICTURE IN .... SECTIONS. Sm. Nd. See RB.21/200.210-212. ... W62-134
- 5. "The Laughing Cavalier". (48)
A. Home Issue - "Series No.5. Back (a) without (b) with stop after numeral
B. Irish issue - Series No.2.
There is a slight catch up, regarding the Irish version, in our updated World Tobacco Issues Index, where the entry reads :
A FAMOUS PICTURE IN .... SECTIONS. Sm. Nd. See RB.21/200.210-212. ... W675-172
- 5. "The Laughing Cavalier". (48)
A. Home Issue - "Series No.5. Back (a) without (b) with stop after numeral
B. Irish issue - Series No.2. (Dublin Address)