c. 1915-17 Piqua, Ohio 'Favorite Theatre' Trading Cards

Reverse of 1915-17 Piqua OH Trading Card Judging by the stars that I picked up from this set, these cards were issued sometime between 1915 and 1917. These measure 2" X 3-1/2" and have a slightly textured surface on front with matching text on the reverse of each card (as shown at left), an ad for Geo. C. Kiefer's records, sheet music and related stock taking up most of the text. The text at the bottom of the card advertises the "Favorite Theatre" in Piqua, Ohio. I've been told that Mr. Keifer was a druggist in town, who teamed up with the local theater to market his wares on the back of these movie cards.

The photos used are in many cases the same images used in the various Kromo Gravure sets and sets that I suspect to have been issued by Kromo Gravure--add these to that list, as I believe the likely source of these cards is the Kromo Gravure Company. Of the two Clara Kimball Young cards shown at the right, the first one is from a 1915-16 set of cards believed to be issued by Kromo Gravure and the second is the "Piqua" card. Same photograph. Besides Clara Kimball Young, all of the cards from the group that I had purchased are shown below. To see a larger version of any image just click on the thumbnail.

Anita Stewart	Arline Pretty	Blanche Ring	Charlotte Walker	Cleo Madison
Constance Talmadge	Crane Wilbur	Dorothy Bernard	Ethel Clayton	Ethel Grandin
Francis Ford	Grace Cunard	Henry B. Walthall	Irene Boyle	Katharine Lewis
Mabel Normand	Mabel Taliaferro	Marguerite Courtot	Marie Walcamp	Marin Sais
Miriam Nesbitt	Mrs. Sidney Drew	Velma Whitman	Violet Mersereau	Wallace Reid