Modern Beauties Cigarette Cards in the 1930s

Cigarette cards are trade cards issued by tobacco manufacturers to stiffen cigarette packaging and advertise cigarette brands. Between 1875 and the 1940s, cigarette companies often included collectible cards with their packages of cigarettes.

Each set of cards typically consisted of 25 or 50 related subjects, but series of over 100 cards per issue are known. Popular themes were ‘beauties’ (famous actresses, film stars and models), sporters (in the U.S. mainly baseball, in the rest of the world mainly football and cricket), nature, military heroes and uniforms, heraldry and city views.

The ‘Modern Beauties’ was a series of real photo portraits or Hollywood actresses popular in the 1930s. Several cigarette brands in the US and Europe used the series. They were usually portraits licensed from the major studios.

Claire Dodd. Modern Beauties Third Series No 24.

Constance Jordan. Modern Beauties Third Series No 14.

Gay Sheridan. Modern Beauties Third Series No 26.

Myriam Valey. Modern Beauties Third Series No 15.

Juliette Compton. Modern Beauties Fourth Series No 20.

Judy McCrea. Modern Beauties Eighth Series No 20.

Virginia. Modern beauties cigarette card, c.1930s.

Unidentified photographer, “Beauties of Today”, Cigarette card, Britain, c.1937.

Unidentified photographer, “Beauties of Today”, Cigarette card, Britain, c.1937.

Unidentified photographer, “Beauties of Today”, Cigarette card, Britain, c.1937.

Diana Lewis. Unidentified photographer, “Beauties of Today”, Cigarette card, Britain, c.1937.

Jean Connors. Unidentified photographer, “Beauties of Today”, Cigarette card, Britain, c.1937.

Margaret Sullavan. Unidentified photographer, “Beauties of Today”, Cigarette card, Britain, c.1937.

Lorna Tarr. Unidentified photographer, “Beauties of Today”, Cigarette card, Britain, c.1937.

Suzanne Kaaren. Unidentified photographer, “Beauties of Today”, Cigarette card, Britain, c.1937.

Virginia. Unidentified photographer, “Beauties of Today”, Cigarette card, Britain, c.1937.

(Photos via John Toohey)