This is not only a set which was "born in May", but it was May 1902, and so far that is the earliest issue that we have entered in the May listing.
Our man is "BOBS", or, more correctly, Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, VD, PC, FRSGS.
He has a rather interesting claim to cartophilic fame, apart from this card, as he appears on packets of Wills` `United Service` Cigarettes - which you can see for yourself with our Card of the Day for the 7th of June, 2022.
He was born on the 30th of September 1832, in India, and went to school at Eton and Sandhurst, then joined the East India Company Army when he was still quite young, just nineteen. He won the Victoria Cross less than ten years later, in 1858. He was transferred to the British Army three years later, and did of sterling service all through the Boer Wars. Who knows what he may have achieved during the First World War, but sadly he saw little of it, he died, of pneumonia, in France on the 14th of November, 1914, whilst paying a visit to the Indian troops who were on active service at the front.
He was buried in St. Paul`s Cathedral, becoming one of only two non-Royals to be interred there in the twentieth century. (The other was Sir Winston Churchill)
Our Wills reference book part two, or, more correctly, "RB.11 – The Cigarette Card Issues of W.D. & H.O. Wills Part I (revised) and Part II", was published in 1948. The description includes all three versions, and gives the cards of the third, unnumbered set in alphabetical order of the card titles, but it also numbers them, very misleadingly, and so I have altered that to show them as bullets. The full description, altered, therefore reads :
- 31. "VANITY FAIR" SERIES. The name of this series was taken from a popular Victorian Society periodical [called] "Vanity Fair" which published a great many cartoons of notabilities, and the cards are reproductions of a suitable selection. The caricatures were usually accompanied by racy biographical sketches, and from these most of the card texts were extracted. The cartoonist was "Spy", and his self portrait appears in Series 2, card No.42
Fronts lithographed in colour on stone coloured background. Backs in grey, with texts.
The records of Wills show the issue date as May 1902. Printed by Stewart & Wolf, Germany. There are three series, each of 50 cards.
A) "Vanity Fair" 1st Series. Numbered 1-50
B) "Vanity Fair" 2nd Series. Numbered 1-50. There are two cards numbered 29, "Just" and "HMS Powerful". The latter card has a lighter background than the other cards in the series, and is known with and without the red colour printing, (particularly noticeable on medal ribbons). This card also appears at No.16 with a normal background.
C) "Vanity Fair" Series. Unnumbered. This series consists of 37 cards from the first, 6 cards from the 2nd, with 7 new titles, as listed below ; -- "A Flannelled Fighter" (2nd, No.27)
- "An Admiral of the Fleet" (a new title)
- "A Retired Leader" (1st, No.23)
- "Aubrey Tanqueray" (2nd, No.26)
- "Australia" (a new title)
- "Birdseye" (1st, No.10)
- "Bobs" (1st, No.36)
- "Canada" (1st, No.20)
- "Canterbury" (a new title)
- "C.I.V." (1st, No.44)
- "Dick" (1st, No.40)
- "Dover and War" (1st, No.39)
- Dr. Jim" (2nd, No.16)
- "Dublin University" (2nd, No.22)
- "Easy Execution" (1st, No.29)
- "Fair, if not Beautiful" (1st, No.42)
- "Forbie" (1st, No.13)
- "Frank" (a new title)
- "From the Army to the Church" (1st, No.4)
- "From the Old Bailey" (1st, No.3)
- "Hard Head" (2nd, No.43)
- "High Commissioner" (1st, No.18)
- "Jacky" (new title)
- "Khartoum" (1st, No.22)
- "Ladysmith" (1st, No.35)
- "Little Bo Peep" (1st, No.46)
- "London" (1st, No.47)
- "Mafeking" (1st, No.37)
- "Mr. Speaker" (1st, No.15)
- "Our Soldier Prince" (1st, No.2)
- "Oxford Athletics" (1st, No.11)
- "Partnership" (1st, No.1)
- "Peking" (a new title)
- "P.R.A." (1st, No.17)
- "Ranji" (1st, No.21)
- "Redrag" (1st, No.30)
- "Sammy" (1st, No.6)
- "Self Reliant" (a new title)
- "Shamrock" (1st, No.50)
- "Smith`s Leading Cases" (1st, No.9)
- "Thanet" (1st, No.31)
- "The Colonies" (1st, No.45)
- "The Commercial Traveller" (1st, No.25)
- "The Croucher" (1st, No.49)
- "The New French President" (1st, No.24)
- "The Opposition" (1st, No.26)
- "United States Embassy" (1st, No.28)
- "U.S.A." (2nd, No.25)
- "Westminster" (1st, No.8)
- "Yorkshire Cricket" (1st, No.7)
We featured the unnumbered, third version as our Card of the Day for the 26th of May, 2023
Our original World Tobacco Issues Index lists these cards under Wills section 1.E, for "Issues 1898 - 1902 inscribed "Wills`s Cigarettes". Cards without the full name of firm" :
- “VANITY FAIR” SERIES. Sm. 68 x 36. See W/31 ... W62-58
1. “1st Series”. Nd. 1/50.
2. “2nd Series”. Nd. 1/50.
3. Unnumbered. (50)
This means that without the original Wills reference book RB.11, which by then were in short supply, you would have no idea of the make-up of the unnumbered set. This is almost certainly one of the many reasons why the decision was made to reprint them all in one hard back volume.
In our updated version of the World Tobacco Issues Index, this has been partially restored, and the text there, still under Wills section 1.E, for "Issues 1898 - 1902 inscribed "Wills`s Cigarettes". Cards without the full name of firm", reads :
- “VANITY FAIR” SERIES. Sm. 68 x 36. See W/31 ... W675-083
1. “1st Series”. Nd. 1/50.
2. “2nd Series”. Nd. 1/50.
3. Unnumbered. (50). 43 subjects from the above two series, 7 new subjects.