Rainbow cigarette cards

Author: Shanghai Library
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1998-04-01
Features: Cigarette cards have a history of over a century since their inception. During the more than four decades of the early to mid-20th century, cigarette cards were wildly popular in China. Despite experiencing phases of introduction, prosperity, and decline, the colorful cigarette cards, delivered with cigarettes and fluttering in the wind, entered ordinary households, captivating millions of collectors and forming a unique and vibrant feature of popular culture. Early cigarette cards were used to support cigarette packaging for sales; later, they were printed with patterns and text, constantly innovating in design; then, promotional methods evolved further, with increasingly exquisite printing, gaining the favor of children and smokers, eventually forming a collection community and a trading market. Clearly, cigarette cards have condensed economic and cultural thoughts. Of course, cigarette cards are merely "cigarette picture cards" or "cigarette illustrations," yet their dazzling appearance reflects a kaleidoscope of cultural influences. The Shanghai Library houses over 30,000 cigarette cards. As cigarette card researchers at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, we reflect on this specific economic and cultural phenomenon with awe at the richness of its themes, the diversity of its production methods, the flexibility of its marketing strategies, and the broadness of its social impact. Though limited in size, the images on cigarette cards may be a mix of good and bad, often containing both essence and dross, yet as a cultural phenomenon that spanned decades, they holistically recorded the social customs, ethics, encyclopedic knowledge, commercial culture, and artistic styles of the time, providing invaluable documentary resources for studying society, economy, science, technology, culture, and education during that period. The exploration and research of these documentary resources undoubtedly carry economic, sociological, historical, aesthetic, and cultural significance. Cigarette cards represent a specific combination of economic acumen and cultural vision. They attract with scenic landmarks, move with literary stories, inspire with historical events, and touch with ethical sentiments. Though part of popular culture, they still possess a strong cultural awareness overall. However, they also embody an economic-cultural perspective, promoting business through culture and driving it forward. The positioning of cigarette cards in the realm of popular culture maintains an intrinsic connection with society and culture, blending social and cultural attributes. The emergence and development of cigarette cards comprehensively reflect the broader cultural landscape of society. Rooted in society, colored by culture, and imbued with the essence of large-scale culture, yet fundamentally commercial in nature, cigarette cards evolve in sync with the rhythms of cultural development, illustrating the social tapestry of daily life through their widespread distribution— ed to cigarettes, settled in homes, and collected in albums. Once linked to the economic and cultural context of a specific historical period, cigarette cards became a form of popular culture, freezing moments in time. Through this temporal and spatial fixation, one can observe the mutual influence and integration of various painting styles and photographic techniques, the penetration and impact of the "Western art Eastward" trend, and the selection and role of new art materials. The temporal and spatial fixation of cigarette cards' cultural and artistic expressions provide a wealth of materials for studying the changes in painting styles, shifts in artistic trends, the fusion of Eastern and Western art, and the advancement of painting materials during that historical period. In this sense, today's exploration and research on cigarette cards have far surpassed the confines of their small size. As the 20th century draws to a close, when we reconsider cigarette cards from an economic-cultural perspective and through the lens of cultural reflection, we clearly see the intrinsic connections between these small paper cards and the socioeconomic, technological, and even historical and cultural dimensions. Extending this line of thought, as we look ahead to the 21st century with scientific foresight, it seems essential to reflect on the—perhaps even through a comprehensive review of these small cigarette cards!