Two school friends, Charles
Lambert and Charles Butler, started their company in 1834. Based in
Clerkenwell, the company became one of England's leading manufacturers
of cigarettes and cigars.
Lambert & Butler produced its first set of cigarette cards in 1898.
Major companies had their own studios devoted entirely to the production
of cigarette cards. Football cards continued to be popular and it was
not uncommon for print-runs in the millions. To encourage the collecting
of a particular series, the tobacco companies produced special albums
that could be purchased from local tobacconists.
In the 1930s several companies produced painted portraits of football
players. In 1931 Lambert & Butler, produced a series of painted
portraits that included West Ham's star centre-forward, Vic Watson.
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