Aly Sloper and his family and friends1890
Aly Sloper was hugely popular character in late 19th century Britain, regarded by some as the very first comic cartoon character, appearing in numerous publications between 1870 and 1910. This pack of cards consists of four sets titled; English: Chinese; Egyptian and African each of twelve cards. The depictions are unashamedly stereotypical, some might say insulting. Not that they were particularly complimentary about themselves at the time. Kings, queens, politicians, the rich and the rascals were regularly lampooned and mocked. Aly Sloper stories and his irreverent opinions, bawdy lifestyle and unconventional friends were lapped up. Each of the twelve cards in each set depicts Aly, his wife, family, associates, servants and dog, drawn and named in the style of each race, as it was perceived at the time. Very un-pc today no doubt, but they are also very amusing, with great drawings and a clever play on the names of the characters. In forty five years collecting cards I have never seen this pack anywhere else, although I have heard of the existence of another one, so I think we can claim them to be extremely rare. 48 cards complete, there is no box, rules or trade mark so we can't be certain who made them but they were most likely made by Mullord Bros (also known as Multum In Parvo) who produced many card games with artwork similar to this, often attributed to the artist Charles Eade. See WOPC article on Multum in Parvo and EPCS newsletter for Feb 2004. Lovely condition, with only a few very minor creases to one or two cards. The set is framed and has hung on a wall in my house for thirty five years and has been much commented on, not always approvingly. Postage incl UK only