Rugby and Ties (and Cigarettes)

Pfff... almost one month without publishing anything... a mix between offline family holidays, other projects, serious work, kind of laziness... and maybe a small indigestion of rugby... 

Anyway, back to basics and let's display some collectors rugby cigarette cards...

Here are some "Well Known Ties" cards published by Churchman's Cigarettes in 1934 (1st series) and 1935 (second series) depicting rugby ties and rugby action, with the remainder consisting of military, tennis, soccer rowing and cricket ties (source : the essential Justin McCullough's "Rugby Cards - International Collectors Guide" - check it here!)

Well... maybe not the most interesting cards of the 20s/30s, but still an good insight of how Twickenham (top left), Murrayfield (top right) or Lansdowne Road (above) could then look like during the Tournament...

Other cards in these Series include Barbarians RFC, Richmond, Harlequins and Blackheath (below), as well as Wasps, Old Cliftonians, Old Etonians and Old Rugbeians.

Comments

[nursedude/Steve]

Fred, c'est intéressant que pendant les années avant la 2e guerre mondiale, on a emplolyé les visages des sportifs -surtout les jouers de baseball pour les pubs des cigarettes-une activité mauvaise pour la santé...apparement que les compaginies du tabacs ont fait la meme chose avec les rugbymen, aussi.

[Pascalou]

Certes, mais les premières études médicales mettant en cause la nocivité du tabac pour la santé datent de la fin des années 20... (source : http://www.velvetgloveironfist.com/index.php?page_id=18)

[Frederic (www.rugby-pioneers.com)]

Hi Gentlemen !

I'm sure that one could write a book about rugby in advertising (or advertising in rugby...). I would like to know (and read...) the first commercial contacts by which reknown players were paid for their image... I guess I'll have to search for Rugby League in England (starting 1895) and Australia (starting 1908) because it's a definite breach to amateurism... (Sean Fagan once referred a Dally M ad from 1909)
http://rugby-pioneers.blogs.com/rugby/2006/11/dallym_rugby_ad.html
http://www.rl1908.com/Legends/Dally-Messenger.htm

This being said, there certainly are earlier ads feat. famous ruggers where no permissions nor remuneration was ever asked by the publisher (Baines Cards ?). "Image rights" were not created in one day...

Re. tabacco, Pascal is right to replace it into historical/medical context ... do you remember that one with rugby kids chatting about cigarettes...?
http://rugby-pioneers.blogs.com/rugby/2008/06/o-tempora-o-mor.html

One of my recent find is this American ad portaying All Blacks hero Dave Gallaher... some 15 years after his death... I'm pretty sure that Gallaher's heirs never knew about it... (sure, I have to write a post about it...)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rugby_pioneers/4602001892/