How to Illuminate London (1935-38)

Cigarette cards that celebrated progress and predicted the future

Cigarette cards are trading cards issued by tobacco manufacturers to stiffen cigarette packaging and advertise cigarette brands.

Between 1875 and the 1940s, cigarette companies often included collectible cards with their packages of cigarettes. Cigarette card sets document popular culture from the turn of the century, often depicting the period's actresses, costumes, and sports, as well as offering insights into mainstream humor and cultural norms.

The New York Public Library has many collections of cigarette cards available online. They include a series by Max Cigarettes called This Age of Power and Wonder.

This series of 250 cards from 1935-38 includes predictions of airports atop high rises, super-sized ocean liners that could cross the Atlantic in 48 hours, and human space travel (necessitated by a cooling sun). Ironically, the cigarette company also predicted new techniques for fighting cancer with radium.

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The New York Public Library: Max Cigarettes “This Age of Power and Wonder” Follow side bar to other cigarette card collections.

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For more Forgotten Files with future predictions:

A Futuristic Vision (1829)

French Postcards Predict Future of Airplanes (1910)

19th Century Prediction of 20th Century Schools (c 1901)