The Will’s Cigarette Card
On DisplayA Paper/Card medium commemorative Cigarette Card
The Will’s Cigarette Card
This would have formed part of a set of promotional and decorative Cards which would have been packaged along with, and inside, Packets of Cigarettes.
It was a prevalent practice at the time for decorative cards, on various subjects, to be placed within various Manufacturer’s Packets of Cigarettes. These would generally depict an illustration of some Thematic type, and run to a finite numbered set, to Collect and Trade.
Smokers were encouraged to collect these Cards, and to Purchase similarly themed Albums, to Collect, and display their Cards.
This Particular Cigarette Card was produced by Will’s Cigarette Company. It is part of a 50 card set looking back at Key events in the reign of King George V, after his Death, so does, in that regard, post date 1921.
The Card depicts the King, King George V, and his wife, The Queen, Queen Mary, in City Hall at the Opening of the Parliament on 22nd June 1921. The Scene depicted is the King Reading his Inaugural Speech at the Opening of Parliament.
The Card is entitled: “Establishing the Parliament of Northern Ireland”
On the rear of the Cigarette Card is a passage of Text as follows:
“On June 22nd 1921, the Tenth Anniversary of his Coronation, the King, after a triumphal progress with the Queen, through Belfast, established the Parliament of Northern Ireland; and what he termed “the age-long Irish problems which for generations embarrassed our forefathers” were in large measure settled - the new Legislature met at the City Hall, and in that improvised Senate House was staged a dignified replica of the annual Parliamentary pageant at Westminster. The Sovereign is reading his memorable inaugural Speech to the assembled Commons, the Speaker attending on his right.
W.D & H.O. Wills”
Owned by the Eileen Hickey Republican History Museum.