Monday, 28 December 2020

Look what two days have done

As well as XL producing alternate captions on cards there are also a number of cards published by D Constance Ltd., that do this too. Here's one of them (quite an early one) ...

D.Constance Ltd., No. 43
Postmarked 1936


D.Constance Ltd., No. R 43
Postmarked 1937




Seeing things

 Another XL Series example of different captions ...


XL 2070

XL 2070 A
Postmarked 1946


I like work - but not much

Some of McGill's cards were also published in the US under the 'Bamforth' name as part of the deal between the UK Bamforth company and McGill's publisher, Inter-Art Co. Sometimes with alternate captions as this example shows. This raises the question as to who made the decision to change the wording?


Inter-Art Comique No. 5641
Postmarked 1929

Bamforth Vacation Comics No. 1585

I like work but not this week

As I mentioned in a much earlier post the XL Series of cards published by Wilson Bros. have a high proportion of cards that have more than one caption. Here is another one ...

XL 2051
Postmarked 1933

XL A 2051
postmarked 1933


Work - don't mention it

Here is another example of a card published in the XL Series which has two different captions. The copies I have actually have two different numbers as well. This looks like a printing error because the 2050 has been printed as 3050.

XL 2050
Postmarked 1934

XL R 3050
(probable printing error!)


They told me I should enjoy myself

McGill has drawn many cards of drinking and drunks. There are also a few about the morning after ... this is one of them.

The first version of this card was published as ES 3132. The card has not been posted so there is no date on it, however it probably dates from 1907 or 1908. (Thanks to David White for sending me this card which is an earlier version than the ones I had !)

E.S. 3132

Hutson Bros. reprinted this card as No. HB 637 which was printed in Holland. Again there is no date on it, but most McGill HB cards were published between 1908 and 1912. 

This card mentions an 'exhibition' which does help to date it more precisely. The most likely event is the Franco-British Exhibition held in London between 14th May and 31st October 1908 as a celebration of the Entente Cordiale signed in 1904 between France and Britain.

HB 637
No postmark

Another version of HB 637 exists which looks like it may have been printed specifically for Douglas on the Isle of Man but uses part of the ES version caption.

HB 637
Postmarked 1908

Another version of this card was published by Hutson Bros. but this time without a number, and a different caption. This one is postmarked 1908.


This HB version has then been copied and published by an unidentified publisher. The card has no signature but was 'Printed in Germany' which dates it as pre-1914. The caption has been changed which makes it much more generic. I have two copies of this card, one has 'Made in Germany' on the reverse and the other has a number as well as 'Printed in Germany'. I have other examples of HB cards being 'copied' by this mystery printer/publisher.

Unknown publisher, No. Series 3097
Postmarked 1914

McGill obviously liked the idea of this image and drew a variation of it in 1911 for Joseph Asher & Co. but this time it mentions the 'Coronation' instead on the 'Exhibition'. The Coronation would have been that of King George V which took place on 22nd June 1911. As can be seen this card is very similar to the other image, the basic structural elements are there but with a few details changed. 

Joseph Asher & Co., No. 701
Postmarked 1911


Monday, 2 April 2018

I don't care - You won't care

An example of a card with three caption variations. One is obviously a 'reply' card to the other.


Milton Renowed No. 1513

Milton Renowned No. 1513
  

Inter-Art Co. Comique No. A 6363

I'm presuming there is a card out there numbered Inter-Art Co. 6363, but which caption will it have?