Fish of Australasia — Cigarette Card Collection
W.D. & H.O. Wills
The Work
This is a set of 24 cigarette cards from "Fish of Australasia," issued by tobacco company W.D. & H.O. Wills around 1912. Cigarette cards were a hugely popular collecting phenomenon of the early twentieth century — inserted into cigarette packets both to stiffen the packaging and as a marketing tool, they doubled as an early form of trading card, with children and adults alike collecting full sets across countless themed series covering everything from sport to natural history. Wills produced numerous Australian-specific series during this period, including companion sets on native birds, butterflies, and wildflowers. Each card in this set depicts a different native or local fish species, individually illustrated in the detailed, hand-painted style typical of the format.
- Year
- c. 1912
- Medium
- Chromolithographed cigarette cards (24), mounted
- Image size
- 290 mm x 260 mm
- Framed size
- 530 mm x 520 mm
- Catalogue
- 0055
Provenance
I found these cards inside a scrapbook at a garage sale, part of a small collection of 1920s scrapbooks I came across. I carefully removed them from the scrapbook to create this display.
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