Object of the Day: A German Cigarette Card Featuring Kitty Carlisle, 1931

Tobacco companies often included a piece of cardboard in the packs to keep the pack stiff so that the cigarettes wouldn’t be crushed. Very often, these cards featured celebrities from films and the sports world and were meant to be collected. In the 1930’s, the German tobacco company, Jasmatzi, produced a series of hand-tinted cards of attractive American film stars.


I confess, I don’t collect cigarette cards, but I do have one—this charming image of the great Kitty Carlisle of whom I’m a fan. Miss Carlisle, a celebrated actress and singer, is depicted here in a typically glamorous pose. On the reverse, there’s a bunch of German writing that I can’t read. I really bought it for the picture of Kitty.

Recently, tobacco companies in the U.S. toyed with the idea of introducing collectible cigarette cards again. However, I don’t think it worked out that well. Let’s face it, nicotine isn’t bubble gum. Nevertheless, over seventy years ago, some German smoker, took the time to preserve this handsome card. For that, I’m grateful.