Mady Christians ~ Issued in 1936, card #335 of the Bunte Filmbilder series. Card is about the same size as a traditional British or American cigarette card (slightly over 1¼"x2¼"). Excellent condition, see my scan.

Mady Christians was born on 19 January 1892 in Vienna, Austria. Destined to be in films in both Germany and the United States, Mady started out as a stage actress, but she soon found new challenges with the world of cinema. Her first film was at the tender age of sixteen when she appeared in Audrey in 1916. She remained in German films for the next sixteen years before she came the United States on the eve of the Nazi era. One of her last German roles was as "the Empress" in Ich und die Kaiserin (1933) which the Nazis would soon ban for its Jewish influences. In America she starred in The Only Girl in 1933 and also began a series of Broadway appearances that would last until very shortly before her death. Mady left cinema entirely in 1948 after filming All My Sons and Letter from an Unknown Woman and turned to television. Mady appeared on The Philco Television Playhouse, The Ford Theatre Hour, and an episode of The Clock. She died on October 28, 1951 in Norwalk, Connecticut from a cerebral hemorrhage.

This lot consists of a genuine German cigarette premium issued between about 1930 and 1937. In general, German cigarette cards and premiums make an interesting and inexpensive addition to any collection. The Nazi government of Germany opposed smoking and eventually put an end to cigarette cards. As a result, the native German card collecting hobby never developed to the extent of that in Britain or the United States. As a result, most German premiums and cards cost only a fraction of what might be expected from their American and British cousins.

Large photos are shown smaller than actual size while small ones are generally enlarged to as much as twice their original size. Almost all photos and cards are scanned through protective sleeves or pages which tends to cut the clarity a bit. Enlarged defects tend to look worse than they actually are.