'British War Leaders' collectors' card depicting John Curtin, 1950

Description

This is a 'British War Leaders' collectors' card, approximately 3.5 cm x 7 cm, issued by Joseph Lingford and Son Ltd in 1950 and featuring a watercolour sketch of John Curtin (1885-1945). Collectors' cards such as this one were packed in Lingford's custard powder and other products.

Educational value

This resource is useful because it:

• This asset commemorates the contribution of John Curtin (Prime Minister of Australia 1941-45) as a wartime leader of a British Commonwealth nation - this card was number ten of a set of 36 'British War Leaders' cards, which featured a coloured portrait of the leader on the front and a brief biography on the reverse; the summation for Curtin noted that he was: 'A sound leader whose death was greatly regretted'.
• This asset is an example of a marketing promotion encouraging people to collect a complete set of cards which were distributed singly within a range of products - these cards were packed in foodstuffs, including Lingford's custard powders, jellies, pudding mixtures and cornflour.
• This asset indicates some of the foods produced in Britain in the 1950s - Joseph Lingford and Son Ltd was a family company started by Joseph Lingford in 1861 and based in the town of Bishop Auckland, County Durham, in north-east Yorkshire; its products included baking powder, cornflour and gelatine, as well as some items less familiar today, such as blancmange and 'Fritto' fritter-mixture.
• This asset provides a rare colour portrait of John Curtin which clearly shows his brown pinstripe suit and waistcoat, and red tie - most images from the period of the Second World War are in black and white.