Taddy & Co. cigarette card set-

1912 orders of chivalry full set

Taddy & Co. 煙草公司香煙卡

1912萬國勳章系列

Item number: C32, C33, C34, C35, C36, C37, C38, C39, C40, C41, C42, C43, C44, C45, C46, C47, C48, C49, C50, C51, C52, C53, C54, C55, C56

Year: AD 1912

Size: 36 mm x 67 mm

Provenance: Private Collector in the UK 2023

The complete set of 25 cards from the “Orders of Chivalry” cigarette card series was issued by the British tobacco company Taddy & Co in AD 1912. Established in London by James Taddy in AD 1784, Taddy & Co operated until AD 1920 when it closed its doors due to the impact of strikes.

As the 20th century approached, the vibrant development of color printing and advertising became crucial marketing channels. Cigarettes of that time were often sold wrapped in thin paper, and to ensure they wouldn’t be damaged before use, a piece of thick cardboard was commonly inserted inside the cigarette package for protection. This protective cardboard thus became a significant advertising platform for companies. Given that the consumers were predominantly male, themes related to war, athletes, and various national decorations in this series became popular choices for attracting buyers’ attention in advertisements.

The medals displayed on the obverse in numerical order provide a glimpse into the elegance of various national orders and decorations. Simultaneously, they allow observers to witness the last glory of the European royal and aristocratic traditions before the outbreak of World War I. In this series, excluding France and the Holy See, the other twenty-three medals all originate from monarchies at that time(AD 1912). Notably, the rapidly rising United States was not included, whereas the German Empire, which achieved unification in 1871, was represented, incorporating four of its independent states (No. 4, 18, 20, 24) in the presentation.

This series further reflects a Euro-centric world order. The medals are categorized based on the geographical locations of the five continents, with Europe dominating in the first position ( 18 medals ). Asia, as one of the few regions not subjected to Western colonization, is in the second position ( 5 medals ). Africa, spared only sporadically from the partitioning by colonial powers, has merely two nations included ( 2 medals ).

In the era when photographs had not yet become widespread in newspapers, cigarette cards often served as a window for Europe’s marginalized groups, such as laborers, women, and children, to explore knowledge about the external world. However, due to language and cultural context gaps, cigarette cards, acting as intermediaries in interpreting objects, may propose different naming concepts and approaches.

Taking the example of the Qing Dynasty medal (No.6) in this series, this medal Da qing yu ci bao xing was awarded by the Qing Dynasty in the 1860s specifically to the British Army that participated in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion. According to the book “The Hand-Book of the Orders of Chivalry, War Medals & Crosses,” published in London in AD 1892, this medal, which later evolved into the Qing Dynasty “Order of the Double Dragon,” was given the name “Order of Blue Button” by the British due to its distinctive appearance and historical significance, but it was also called “Order of the Imperial Dragon” by HARRY A, MOHLER in his articles published in the OMSA Journal Vol29_10_04. Nowadays, it is called “Merit Medal” by OMSA in their image database.

Notably, the Blue Button (a second-class award) showcased in Card No. 6 lacks the silk tassels that were always issued with the insignia. Instead, it is embellished with a yellow/gold silk ribbon. This deviation is likely due to the fact that these types of medals were rarely worn on British uniforms with tassels, as it would have been ‘alien’ to the customary order of wear protocol in the British Army. The yellow/gold silk ribbons were, in fact, an ‘addition’ by the British.

According to the book “British and Foreign Orders, War Medals and Decorations” by A.A. Payne, 1911, the ”Order of the Button” is described as being an award in 4 x classes / grades.

Finally, the back of the card provides detailed information about the product. At the top is the name of the cigarette, “Grapnel.” The central content boasts about the use of the finest Virginia tobacco and the renowned “Latakia” tobacco essence with a honey flavor. The company’s full name (Taddy & Co.) and location, London, are stamped within the black frame at the bottom.

物件編號: C32, C33, C34, C35, C36, C37, C38, C39, C40, C41, C42, C43, C44, C45, C46, C47, C48, C49, C50, C51, C52, C53, C54, C55, C56

年代: 公元 1912 年

尺寸: 36 mm x 67 mm

來源: 英國私人收藏 2023

此全套25張「萬國勳章」香煙卡系列，為英國香煙公司Taddy & Co於公元1912年所發行的。公元1784年，Taddy & Co公司由James Taddy創建於倫敦，直到公元1920年不堪罷工的衝擊方才宣告歇業。

進入20世紀之際，彩色印刷的蓬勃發展及廣告成為重要的行銷通路。當時的香煙經常以薄紙包裹出售，為確保香煙在消費者使用前不會受損，為此在煙盒內部往往會插入一塊厚紙板作為保護。這塊保護香煙的厚紙板，於是成為公司打廣告的重要看板。出於消費者多為男性，戰爭、運動員乃至本系列的各國勳章，便普遍成為吸引買家目光的廣告題材。 

正面按編號陳列的勳章，能一窺各國勳章風采之外。同時也讓人看到第一次世界大戰爆發前，歐洲皇室和貴族傳統的最後榮光。本系列排除法國和教廷，其餘二十三枚勳章皆出自當時(公元1912年)的君主制國體。國力蒸蒸向上的美國並未被納入，反倒是公元1871年完成統一大業的德意志帝國，轄下擁有獨立性的各邦國中，其中四國(No.4,18,20,24)被納入介紹。

該系列更反映歐洲本位的世界秩序。按五大洲的地理位置劃分勳章，歐洲地區位居第一(18枚)，少數未淪為西方殖民地的亞洲位居第二(5枚)，零星倖免於列強瓜分的非洲更只有兩國入列(2枚)。

照片尚未在報紙上普及的年代，香煙卡往往是替歐洲的弱勢群體，如勞工、婦女和兒童認識外在世界的知識之窗。但是出於語言和文化脈絡的隔閡，作為中介者的香煙卡在詮釋物件時，會提出不同的命名概念和方式。以本系列的中國清朝勳章(No.6)為例，此「大清御賜寶星勳章」是清朝在1860年代專為參與消滅太平天國的英國軍隊所頒發。根據公元1892年在倫敦出版的「The Hand-Book of the Orders of Chivalry, War Medals & Crosses」一書，能見後續演變為清朝「雙龍寶星勳章」雛形的這枚勳章，因為其外觀特色和歷史被英國人賦予「藍色鈕扣勳章」的稱呼，但美國人HARRY A, MOHLER在OMSA期刊Vol29_10_04上發表的文章中也稱之為「帝國之龍勳章」。如今，OMSA在其影像資料庫中則稱之為「功績勳章」。

值得注意的是，本系列的中國清朝勳章(No.6)中展示的藍色鈕扣勳章（2等獎）缺少了總是與徽章一同頒發的絲質流蘇，反而是以黃金色絲帶所代替。 這樣做的原因可能是因為，這類型帶有流蘇的勳章與英國軍隊的通常穿著規定相悖(流蘇佩戴在英國制服上會顯得異常)。 實際上，黃金色絲帶是英國人自己添加上去的。

根據公元A.A. Payne於1911年出版的「British and Foreign Orders, War Medals and Decorations」，「鈕扣勳章」被描述為有著4個等級的獎項。

最後卡片在背面標示產品的詳細訊息，上方為該香煙名稱「爪鉤」。中間內容則是誇耀產品用到最上乘的維吉尼亞菸草，和帶有蜂蜜風味出名的「拉塔基亞」菸草原精。公司的全名(Taddy & Co.)和地點：倫敦，則印記於下方黑色框架中。

更多相關訊息請參考:

John Broom, A History of Cigarette and Trade Cards: The Magic Inside the Packet (England: Pen & Sword History, 2019)

C.N. Elvin’s, The Hand-Book of the Orders of Chivalry, War Medals & Crosses (London: Dean and Son, 1892 )

https://cardhawkuk.com/2020/07/09/taddy-co-2/

https://plantlightsound.com/product/latakia_tabacco_abs/

www.omsa.org/files/jomsa_arch/Splits/1978/58586_JOMSA_Vol29_10_04.pdf

www.omsa.org/images/?parent=590