Leibig trade cards
odd: label: General note
content: Title provided by EEPA staff.
place: label: Place
content: Africa, East
label: Place
content: Belgian Congo
label: Place
content: Congo (Democratic Republic)
label: Place
content: Ethiopia
label: Place
content: Africa
label: Place
content: Madagascar
label: Place
content: Transvaal (South Africa)
topic: label: Topic
content: Folk art
label: Topic
content: Decorative arts
label: Topic
content: Clothing and dress
label: Topic
content: Rites and ceremonies -- Africa
label: Topic
content: Hunting -- Africa
label: Topic
content: handicrafts
label: Topic
content: Art, African
label: Topic
content: Fishing
label: Topic
content: Animals -- Africa
abstract: label: Summary
content: This collection consists of 126 chromolithographic trade cards (13 sets) published by the Leibig Company between 1899 and 1955. These trade cards were included with products sold in Europe, such as chicken soup and chocolate. The cards focus on African art and material culture and showcase distinctive ethnic types, artistic and craft traditions, cultural performance, dress/costume and leadership. Sets include In Transvaal, In Abyssinia, Scenes of Africa, In East Africa I, Madagascar, In East Africa II, Life Among the Congolese People, Wild Animals of the Congo, The Italian Empire, Congolese Craftsmanship, Hunting and Fishing in the Belgian Congo, Peoples of the Belgian Congo, and History of the Belgian Congo I-III. Captions on the cards appear in French, Italian and German.
bioghist: label: Biographical/Historical note
content: Liebig's Extract of Meat Co. Ltd. was founded in London in 1856, with a share capital of £480,000. During the next century there were several changes of name, and in 1971 the Company was acquired by Brooke Bond's, and is now known as Brooke Bond (Liebig) Ltd. Baron Justus von Liebig, a chemist, produced a meat extract which was energetically marketed in jars, tubes and packets under a variety of names, such as Liebig, Sapis and Oxo. The extract was so popular that many rivals attempted to pass off their products as those of Liebig; several legal cases followed, and after this time the celebrated signature in blue of the founder appeared on packets and cards. The company prospered to the extent that it had branches and subsidiaries in many countries, such as Italy, Germany, France, South Africa and the United States; at one stage they claimed to own supply branches in Africa and South America totalling nearly 10,000 square miles, and containing 500,000 cattle.

At a very early stage the company discovered the value of advertising and began to issue series of cards in 1872; these continued, with two short breaks during the World Wars, until 1974. The first series were probably handed out to customers by retailers, and were confined to France; this followed the pattern of most early French 'trade cards', which were produced en masse by printers, and then sold to shops and manufacturers who then had their own names and advertising printed on the backs and fronts --hence many of the early Liebig series of cards, which may well have assisted in the continued expansion of the company. The method of distribution also changed, and customers were able to obtain complete sets of cards in exchange for coupons which appeared in, or on, the packets. Sets were soon prepared for distribution in several countries, and many occur in six or more different languages, including English, Russian and Swedish. In addition, the Liebig Company was responsible for a wide variety of other card types. Of these, the best known are the menu cards, table cards and calendars, but they also issued such varied items as playing cards, postcards, cookery books and wallets.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 126 Chromolithographs (126 trade cards (13 sets))
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1899-1955
container: label: Container
content: Item EEPA.2008-005
custodhist: label: Custodial History note
content: Purchased from Alvin Pettit Productions (Kevin Jackson), 2008.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: EEPA.2008-005
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Chromolithographs
label: Type
content: Trade cards
label: Type
content: Collecting cards
label: Type
content: Chromolithography
arrangement: label: Arrangement note
content: Arranged chronologically by series.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Trade cards
label: Genre/Form
content: Collecting cards
label: Genre/Form
content: Chromolithography