Liebig Trade Cards and Maps

Over a period of almost exactly a century the Liebig company produced trade cards as free gifts for customers. A few of these attractive cards depict maps as well as views and local produce. During the Hungry Forties when even bread was scarce and meat too costly for the general population a gifted German chemist announced a spectacular breakthrough.' In 1847, in his treatise Extractum Carnis, Justus Freiherr von Liebig explained how to make beef extract.

Justus Freiherr von Liebig (the title Freiherr or Baron being awarded in 1845) was born in Darmstadt (12 May 1803). He studied chemistry, becoming a teacher at Giessen University and helping to establish it as one of the premier scientific addresses in the middle of the nineteenth century. A researcher in many fields he is especially remembered for work in the field of organic chemistry. He was the discoverer of chloroform and gave the ethyl group C2H5 its name. He improved the techniques and approach to ultimate organic analysis. His research into animal and plant metabolism was highly regarded and he introduced the technique of artificial fertiliser. As well as  discovering the meat extract Liebig's Fleischextrakt, he also discovered baking powder and the silver reflection for mirrors.'

Fig. 1. The first set of cards depicting production facilities

Not only did Liebig have a brain for the theoretical aspects of life, he was also a very practical person. In his treatise, he outlined how to produce the extract, and also explained where it should be made and offered to release details and his endorsement free of charge. His plan was simple: in Germany the process would be costly, but in South America cattle were being slaughtered for their hides and the carcasses were often left to rot. If someone could produce the extract in Latin America to his quality standards, then von Liebig would give his name to the product free of charge.

It took fourteen years before a young civil engineer working in Brazil was able to submit a plan that satisfied von Liebig's requirements. George Christian Giebert was able to convince von Liebig that a plant in Uruguay could produce the quality of extract needed and he visited Germany and Britain before returning to Uruguay and setting up a plant at Fray  Bentos on the Uruguay River.

During 1863, Giebert in partnership with two brothers, Otto and George Gunther, had a plant in production, shipping extract to Antwerp where it was put into stone jars with a label with von Liebig's name on it. In 1865 Liebig's Extract of Meat Company Limited was registered in London.

Fig. 2. Reverse of card with factual information and advertising

Justus Freiherr von Liebig died in Munich in 1873 (18th April) and Giebert died the following year. In London the director was C.E. Gunther, just 25 years of age but following in his father's footsteps. In March 1899, in response to a new competitor, OXO was registered, being an improved version of the original beef extract. At the same time in Uruguay an Englishman, Charles Croker overcame difficulties in canning meat and a new product came onto the market: corned beef.

The companies involved were innovative in many other respects: they published a newspaper Liebigs Annalen which gave information on the company and its products; and they distributed trade cards. The first of the attractive chromolithic cards                                     (Chromos) appeared in 1872. By the time printing of these cards ceased in 1973 some 1863 different sets had been produced. The variety of themes or subjects for these 6 or 12 card series is remarkable; from Alpine Flowers to Zone Language in Italy, from American Skyscrapers to Zarathustra with sets on Justus von Liebig and scenes from various factories, and all graced with the blue signature of von Liebig.

Fig. 3. Set of early cards with Liebig extract used in various places

For those interested in maps there are also a few cartographic series produced in the early twentieth century. Although the extract was  invented  by  a German, strangely it is France that appears most on the cards of the time. There is one series that presents scenes of France together with a map. In the series French Rivers (732, 1903) there is a typical regional scene of people in national costume, e.g., a goatherd on stilts in local dress (with Bayonne at the mouth of the Adour in the background), typical produce (e.g., fruit from the Garonne region) together with a view of a town or city and a small map of the particular river. In common with the vast majority of the Liebig sets there are six cards and the rivers are the Adour, Garonne, Rhone, Seine, Charente and Loire. And ever present is a picture of a jar of Liebig's Meat Extract and the name of the France's Ports were produced (1057, 1912) these did not have maps.

Two series depicting important straits were issued in 1906; the first was Europäische Wasserstrassen (Straits of Europe,  867); the second was Ausser-Europäische Wasserstrassen (Straits outside Europe, 868). The former depicts the Straits of the Bosphorus, Straits of Messina, Straits of Calais, Straits of Kertsch (in the Black Sea), Sund Strait (between Denmark and Sweden) and Straits of Gibraltar. Each has a person in national costume, scenic view and map. The latter set has the Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb (Red Sea), Bering Straits, Korea, Maghalaes (Magellan), Torres and Malakka (Sumatra) with the same format.

Fig. 4. Two sets of cards depicting straits (867 and 868)

Similar series depicting canals, e.g. The Panama Canal (1092, 1920), did not have a map as part of the design. The text of the card is usually in German but English, French and Italian cards can also be found. Considering the usual size of such a card was only 70 x 105 mm there is an extraordinary amount of detail. And on the reverse of each card was information of the front scene together with an advertising slogan advocating the use of the extract and sometimes a warning Only genuine if the stone jar has J v. LIEBIG in blue script across the label. Frequently there was also a recipe such as for a simple bouillon or for lamb cutlets in cabbage as can be found on the reverse of my personal favourites, the Rhine cards.

Fig. 5. Course of the Rhine (c.1901)

In 1901 Liebig produced a set of six cards depicting the Course of the Rhine from Bingen to Coblenz (680). This set has an aerial panorama of the Rhine with scenes of castles or beauty spots in a series of vignettes along the sides, including the Tower of Mice, Ehrenbreitstein and the Lorelei cliffs, all favourite sights for river passengers. The cards were designed for laying next to each other to present a complete picture of the river. Once again the stone jar with label is prominent. The cards were numbered and the reverse has a small amount of text on that stretch of the river. Each card included a recipe, e.g. card 3 has a recipe for roast pheasant and card 6 a recipe for soup suitable for someone who is ill. 

Fig. 6. Free advertising about OXO

 – inner slider reveals interesting facts (author´s collection)

In 1968 the original Liebig company joined a well-known firm, to become Brooke Bond Liebig, merging a couple of years later. In 1984 Brooke Bond Oxo, as it had become, was taken over by Unilever. In memory of the founder the Liebig-Denkmuze prize for outstanding chemists has been awarded every year since 1903.

 

Fig. 7. Liebig set 34 European Countries (above) and later copy with plain back for sticking in an album (below, author´s collection)

 

NOTES

The original version of this article was published in IMCoS Journal Summer 1998; Issue No. 73.

1. Background information has been taken from The  Liebig-Oxo Story' by J. Herbert Wilson in Cigarette Card News and Trade Card Chronicle issues January, February and March 1985. This magazine is the journal of the London Cigarette Card Company Limited. I am grateful to the Company for providing copies of the magazine.

2.Der Grosse Knaur, Lexikographisches Institut, Munich, 1982.

3. This is the reference number in the Catalogue of Liebig Cards, 1996 edition, printed by the London Cigarette Card Company Ltd.

4. All Liebig images are from Cartolina which is probably the best source of Liebig cards on the internet.

http://www.cartolino.com/en/liebig-cards.html

If you are interested in collecting, Ebay has literally thousands on offer for €5 upwards. If you have started a collection and want to “fill the gaps” then Collectomania is a good market place: https://www.chromo.be/