ICI Sopra

A Joker holding a cornucopia from which tumble succulent-looking vegetables, grapes and other fruit seems innocent enough, as do the courts whose costumes are made up of agricultural produce of various kinds. These are Henri Simoni’s charming and colourful designs. His name appears on the Jokers. Only when one turns the cards over does one discover that these cards do in fact promote four different herbicides and fungicides which are all now either banned or severely restricted in their use in most European countries. One of them, Milstem, was first introduced in 1972, so it is safe to assume that these cards were produced not long after that date. See the box

Promotional pack for ICI Sopra published by Editions J.-C. Dusserre, Paris, France, c.1973. Printed by Boéchat Frères (“Héron”), Bordeaux, France. 52 cards + 2 Jokers + 1 bridge score card in tuck box. Size: 57 x 87 mm. The box looks the same front and back.

ICI Sopra was the French subsidiary of the British chemical giant Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI).