This is the beginnings of a celebration of Christmasses past, as seen through the pages of contemporary Cartophilic magazines and also on cards.
All readers are encouraged, to add any other references that they find by emailing a scan or typed copy to webmaster@card-world.co.uk
This decade brought us the first cartophilic magazine, "The Cigarette Card News", by Colonel Bagnall`s London Cigarette Card Company, which began to be published in October 1933. That means that the first Christmas to actually be celebrated with a magazine at hand was
Sadly, this is remarkably un-festive, even choosing to announce at this time, in a rather Scrooge-like manner, that "Owing to the very heavy cost of production, we are increasing period subscription rates". You may find those subscription rates, which included postage, interesting, so here they are -
single copy -
Great Britain and Ireland 2d.. - Abroad 3d.
three months subscription -
Great Britain and Ireland 7d.. - Abroad 9d.
six months subscription -
Great Britain and Ireland 1/3d. - Abroad 1/6d.
twelve months subscription -
Great Britain and Ireland 2.6d. - Abroad 3/-
In fact, it turns out this magazine was not the Christmas issue at all. For the next one
starts by saying :
CHRISTMAS, 1933. NEW YEAR, 1934, This issue of the "Cigarette Card News" will be in the hands of its readers on or before Christmas Day. We, therefore, take this opportunity of tendering them our most sincere wishes for a very happy Christmas, as well as a most prosperous New Year. As regards the latter, may their collecting aspirations receive complete satisfaction; and may they also have their full share of that much desired revival of material prosperity which seems at last, after many and bitter disappointments, to be slowly, coming a fact.
When this decade turned its calendar, we were, once more at war, cartophilists were being forced to leave their cards behind, and, often, they were never reunited.
The first Cartophilic Society acknowledgement of the festive season I have so far found comes on the front page of our original printed magazine, "The Bulletin" (number XVII, December 1940) and here it is .
The editor, and finder of the sentiment, was Eric Gurd, though I know not that he had any connection to Charles Dickens, the writer. However they are certainly brave and inspiring words with which to close yet another year in wartime.
Now this small salutation was the only mention of Christmas I have found in the entire run of "The Bulletin", but I do lack those first seven copies, including December 1939, which are hard to find. So perhaps there was something in there? Do please let us know!
![P644-060A [tobacco : UK] John Player & Sons “Characters from Dickens” (October 1912) 35/50](/sites/default/files/styles/content_aligned/public/2021-12/24%20scrooge%20pair.jpg?itok=n2v4wDI3)
The quote is actually taken from the short story "A Christmas Carol", first published at Christmas 1843, almost a hundred years ago before we reprinted it. And it is said by Ebenezer Scrooge, who appears as a cigarette card, this one, card 35/50 of John Player "Characters From Dickens" taken from artwork by the Manx artist Joseph Clayton Clark, who signed his work as "Kyd".
The set was first issued in 1910 and then re-released, in identical format, in 1923, and, for some reason, Scrooge is the only character from a Christmas Carol who appears therein, though Marley does appear in the text.
In fact most of the set is occupied by characters from "The Pickwick Papers". No reason was given for this, and there are other books, and other characters, that we may think merited inclusion more. However that is the way they constructed the set, and we cannot now change it. Though it must be said that there is a famous Christmas quote that comes from the Pickwick Papers, namely "Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!"
And that sentiment was echoed, many times, in 1940
However Scrooge does have another cartophilic mention, for here he is, climbing the steps, on card seventeen of W.A. & A.C. Churchman`s "Interesting Door-Knockers". Issued in 1928. this card shows the "Marley's Ghost" Door Knocker at Craven Street, Charing Cross, London.
The text on the card tells us that "Dickens possibly derived his inspiration from a knocker of the type illustrated, which formerly adorned the door of a house in Craven St., where the novelist may perhaps have seen it."
It appears that the knocker was at number 8, Craven Street. However the one shown here seems to be totally different from most of the illustrations in his books. If there is a Dickens scholar reading then I would love to know if this very knocker is ever depicted - and if not, where this came from. I would also be interested to find this actual model in any architectural and/or fittings catalogues.
Despite the war, things carried on, and if you were a good customer and/or a keen collector at that time you may have been lucky to receive one.
It is actually a four sided card, and you can see it, in its entirety, as our Card of the Day for December 17th, 2021.
There you will also find a list of the other issuers, who, oddly, are not all cartophilically inclined - and if anyone can add any more information about those issuers, or scans of their cards, please do.
When "The Bulletin" changes into "The Cartophilic World", several years pass without any record that a Christmas exists at all. Then, in
And suddenly we have new clothes - a yellow outer coat, of very slightly thicker material, and at the top, in Olde English type, it so proudly proclaims itself the "Christmas Number".
It also gains framelines, or, more correctly, pictorial borders, for they consist of small squares, each being a tiny trio of holly leaves, making a border to the section with the volume, date and number, and to the main table of contents, which, thrillingly, includes what I believe to be our first specially written, Christmas related article, which was entitled "Christmas Cards - The Cartophilic Variety",
And there is another Christmas present for the readers, a pictorial centre spread, again on thicker, glossier, paper, which illustrated seven of the John Player early advertisement cards, plus five panels of "Tobacco War Beauties", from Kinney, and the American Tobacco Company.
Perhaps all this festive fancy was a delight of the new editor, who was Edward Wharton-Tigar.
And there is an additional delight nestled within my copy, as it contains this hand written letter from the man himself, still using his Selection Trust addressed paper, but crossing that through and writing his Camden Place address below.
Sadly I do not know who was the lucky recipient of this wonderful Christmas present in 1949. I did ask, but the seller said they did not know.
Anyway, the Editorial, by Edward Wharton-Tigar and his assistant Mr. W. J. Wicks, begins with a suitably festive flavour, for it says: "With this slightly enlarged edition, we wish all our readers the compliments of the season."
And now we reach page 802, and that first Christmas related article, which you now have the pleasure of reading again, seventy-two years on.
As to why it is in two parts, it started at the foot of one page and slid onto the top of the other. And the author, W.J.W.? Well that was none other than our Assistant Editor, Mr. W. J. Wicks.
Sadly after the exciting specially designed and differently coloured cover of the 1949 Christmas edition, and all its festive frivolity, this year`s we retain the same blue, straight framelined cover as all the other magazines in that year.
And it goes straight to the point with the first sentence ... "We should have liked to have made this a specially large Christmas number, but our funds simply will not allow this, and a journal of twenty pages, excluding covers, is the maximum that we can at present afford."
By the following Christmas things had moved forward, and we saw the return of a yellowy coloured cover, complete with similar holly framelines, though the leaves had grown a bit in size in the last two years.
Whilst there is no mention of any Christmas related article on the cover, and none inside, the editorial begins with good news: "This year we are able, as in 1949, to publish a slightly enlarged Christmas number, and we take the opportunity of wishing all our readers the compliments of the season." It also reported that the Society`s income was slightly in excess of expenditure, as way of explanation.
This year the cover of looked much the same as above, but on a white page, which is much easier to read, and to scan.
The editorial started by saying that : "Once again we present a 28 page Christmas number, and we wish all our readers a Happy Christmas and the best of luck in 1953."
But apart from this, not a word of festive content.
The following Christmas, a similar cover design, but with smaller holly, and it was a twenty-four page issue.
The editorial here starts with "A HAPPY CHRISTMAS and NEW YEAR to you all from your three Editors [these being Edward Wharton-Tigar, and Commander A.M. Rundle, who were Hon. joint editors, and W.J. Wicks who was Hon. Assistant Editor"], and may our hobby continue to flourish during the coming year. The outlook in regard to a general introduction of cigarette cards is rosier than ever - trade cards are being issued in ever increasing quantities throughout the country, and there are indications that at least some tobacco firms are considering the resumption of card issues." It continues with more Christmas presents.- that the Amalgamated Tobacco Corporation of Luton, issuers of the first post-war series, "Famous British Ships" were issuing a new series "Propelled Weapons" (hardly a Christmassy subject, methinks) and had a new large cigarette - that three weeks ago Philip Allman & Co had supplied details of their new second series of "Pin-Up Girls" (giving Christmas stockings a whole new connection...) - and that the Index to Volume 9 of "The Cartophilic World" was now at the printers, and would soon be available. There was a bit of a sting though, as this would no longer be supplied free of charge, it would cost 2/6d.
The following year, the cover did have holly as the framelines, if you squinted - and there was a bit of a hidden treat in the table of contents... but more about that later.
The editorial begins "Once again we have made the full circle and it is my pleasure to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from your three editors."
Sadly they had to report that "No new cigarette card issues have appeared in this country." However, the number of trade cards was definitely increasing, principally by confectioners, there were rumours of a new series from the Amalgamated Tobacco Corporation of "Kings and Queens", and they were eagerly awaiting part two of the London Cigarette Card Company's Catalogue and Handbook, covering the issues from 1920 to 1940. Progress was also sure and steady on the forthcoming "World Tobacco Issues Index".
And, remember that hidden treat, well Mr. I. O. Evans had penned us this "Cartophilic Christmas Carol"...
This saw a few apologies here for neither the London Cigarette Card Company Catalogue nor Handbook part II had been published.
Also the World Tobacco Issues Index was not quite ready yet.
this was a bit more Christmassy, and had a thicker cover in white, with large holly framelines, plus more pages.
The London Cigarette Card Company Catalogue and Handbook part II were out already, they had been published in May 1956, though they had been taking orders since October 1955.
Our World Tobacco Issues Index was still not quite ready though, it was finished, but not yet proof read