Tuesday 8 March 2022

You know, Miss Haybag

Another in this short sequence of early Constance cards that have been redrawn and republished. This card with its rather crude double-entendre was originally published in 1939 or 1940.


D. Constance Ltd. No. 1005
Note: the card on the left is unsigned

It is not straightforward to identify which version of the card was the original. The copies I have of them each carry the same post-war rhyme on the reverse and both have the later 22 Christchurch Road address.

If you take a closer look at the borders to the image, the card on the left with its continuous border is the earlier version (I think) whereas the border of the card on the right has the three stripes at intervals and this design is on later cards. If this is correct it means the cruder, and to my mind inferior, image on the right is the redrawn version !

My theory that these early cards were redrawn because the original had been destroyed in the 1940 bombing of the Constance warehouse does not stand up here. If the original had been destroyed how come it was printed with the post-war rhyme ? If it wasn't destroyed why bother redrawing it ?

Yes, I'm still confused about this one !


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