European Popular Culture
Historic Battles, by Belgian company Cox International and distributed in Canada. All 306 stickers are present, which is rare because producers usually restrict a few pieces in order to sell more packets to collectors trying desperately to complete their album. Covers 17 different battles, each spanning 2 pages. Produced in 5 different languages. Some of the historical inaccuracies are interesting. For instance, the description of the 1896 Battle of Adua reads: A wrong estimation of the degree of training and of the discipline of the enemy forces on the part of the Italian headquarters caused the defeat of the Italian troops which were almost wiped out by overwhelming hordes of Abyssinians. In fact General Barateiri let his troops scatter thus exposing them to the sudden attacks of the Zulus.
PCA 072
PCA 072But these proud warriors were highly trained and disciplined, and their extreme swiftness enabled them to make rapid and perfect strategic movements. It summed up in the massacre of fifteen thousand men inexorably put to rout far from their country. This is the only European popular culture depiction of the Battle of Adua, for children, that I have come across. A rare find, complete with box. Condition very good. ahehkh
Price: $525.00
Complete set of 6 postcards by Aurelio Bertiglia on the Italian invasion of Ethiopia. EHKHAH
Price: $240.00
Note: Aurelio Bertiglia was born in Turin, 23 June 1891. He was an illustrator, commercial artist, caricaturist, graphic designer (musical scores, commercial and publicity graphics), fashion designer and painter. Mainly self-taught, from the age of fourteen he was very active in producing postcards and he also worked for German publishers. Postcards: several series of children, several series of little women and during 1915 - 1918 several anti-Austrian caricatures. What is interesting is that in World War 1 he did anti-German art and then reversed in World War 2.
