[Weimar Cabaret]
German Cigarette Card of an Unidentified Black Dancer
1933 cigarette card of an unidentifed Black female cabaret dancer, as printed by Berlin's Garbáty Cigarette Factory, one of a 250-card series of "Famous Dancers." 1.75 x 2.5 inches (4.5 x 6.1 cm.). Spot of mounting remnant to verso, else in fine condition.Translated from the German, the racist text on verso reads: "Famous DANCERS / Negro Girl / The interest in Negro dancing during this time brought many American negro troops to Europe, whose grotesque dancing and songs were very popular for a while / 214 / Original scrapbook against pre-delivery of M.1 / Available from the Garbaty cigarette factory in Bln. -Pankow / These pictures are in the packs of the mild aromatic cigarettes."
"Cigarette card collecting is almost unknown in Germany nowadays. Yet until the second world war, the Germans had a long tradition of collecting cigarette and trading cards. Even after the war, cigarette cards made a brief comeback, both in East and West Germany. However it was not on anything like the previous scale, and eventually they were banned in West Germany in 1955. The cards – which commonly documented popular culture at the turn of the century – were issued by tobacco manufacturers to stiffen cigarette packaging and advertise cigarette brands." ("A Brief History of German Cards," csogb.co.uk) (19223)
Unsigned Photo History & Historiography