Here we have another instantly recognisable National Symbol for Britain, the British Bulldog. Though in recent years it is falling from favour as a symbol and being replaced by the lion, as in our footballing "Three Lions" and Lionesses. However in the 1700s bulldogs were seen as symbols of courage and bravery, and also one was drawn in as the companion of a cartoon character, typifying England, called John Bull. He, and his dog, were really long lasting, and he was still used during the First World War on recruiting posters etc. Then, in the Second World War, Winston Churchill even called himself "The British Bulldog".
Sadly the bulldog breed is not very long lived, only lasting for six or seven years, and suffer badly with deformities of their hips and skull and, strangely for one so associated with courage, weakness of their heart and breathing. Most of this is as a result of selective breeding, aimed at making their faces more pugnacious and their bodies lower, wider hipped, and broader across the chest
Now the dog on this card, "Basford Revival Replica" is quite well known, and Basford is a big name in the Bulldog breeding World even today. The card tells us his date of birth, the 26th of March 1935, which means he was only four years old on this card. He was originally owned by Mr. Roddy, but was then sold (?) to Mr. F. Dunn, and relocated to America, where he continued to charm the show ring, and also father many more show winning bulldogs.
This set was issued in 1938, with a second series the following year. It is described in both our World Tobacco Issues Indexes under John Sinclair section No. "4. Issues 1934-39. Small size 67 x 35-37 Large 76 x 63 m/m" The description is :
CHAMPION DOGS. Black and White photos. Nd.
1. Backs "A Series of... "
A. Small (54)
B. Large (52)
2. Backs "2nd Series of ..."
A. Small (54)
B. Large (52)
By the way, we featured a card from the large size version of this first series in a previous newsletter - as a diary card for Tuesday, 26 July, 2022