1929
The cinema studies series by Nicolas Sarony & Co. is a collection of 25 cigarette cards that show scenes and characters from famous films of 1929, such as The Collegians, The Man Who Laughs, Show Boat and others. The cards are in black and white and have dimensions of about 4 x 6.8 cm. Each card shows a scene on the front and the name of the film and the actors on the back. The series is very rare and valuable for film card enthusiasts. This series was published when silent films were giving way to ‘Talkies’ and contains photos of some of the biggest stars of silent cinema of the time. Unfortunately, the transition to speaking roles did not go well for everyone - Madge Bellamy, for example, was fired from her studio, as well as Betty Compson and Richard Talmadge found his German accent too strong an obstacle and became assistant director. Some, however, continued to act, including Dorothy Gulliver who made films until 1976, Constance Bennett who was the highest paid actress for a while and Delores Del Rio whose career lasted more than 50 years. These cards were produced by Nicolas Sarony & Co., a famous British tobacco company founded in 1860 by Nicolas Sarony, an artist and lithographer of Hungarian origin. The Nicolas Sarony & Co. was known for producing high quality collectible cards, with various subjects ranging from celebrities to curiosities. These cards are testimonies of an era when cinema was in full evolution and experimentation, and offer a fascinating look at the stars and stories that made the history of the screen. Among the films represented in the series, stand out The Man Who Laughs, a horror film based on the novel by Victor Hugo, which inspired the character of the Joker in Batman comics, and Show Boat, a musical based on the novel by Edna Ferber, which marked the birth of the American musical genre. Click on further information, or on the symbol immediately below the year to see the complete series.