Monday 7 March 2022

Many a battle

Many of the cards McGill drew for D. Constance Ltd. in the late 1930s were later reprinted using the same issue number and caption but with a slightly different image. I have already posted about some of these. The next three posts will focus on other examples.

This first card, which is unsigned, was probably originally published in 1939. I think that the card on the right will be the original version with the caption at the bottom and on the reverse has the rhyme:

Save all you can, please and invest,
To rid us from the Nazipest. 
Remember Friend, your £ s. d.
Will pave the way to victory.


D. Constance Ltd. No. 455

The card was later republished as the version on the left. The lady takes up less of the space and is standing on her right leg rather than the left while the gentleman peering round the curtain is slightly smaller too. Her rather strained facial expression remains the same though! My copy has a postmark date of 1953 and the rhyme on the reverse:

"KEEP SAVING FOR A RAINY DAY"
We saved to win the war,
Our efforts must not cease
By saving more and more,
We'll surely win the peace!

The reason for this card having to be redrawn is probably because the original was a victim of the bombing of the Constance warehouse in 1940.


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