Airplanes, from the World War I Puzzle Cards series

Chocolates Jaime Boix, Barcelona|J. Lopez|Alberto Santos-Dumont

1921–23 · Color lithograph · Drawings and Prints

These collectable puzzle cards were inserted into chocolate bars by a Barcelona-based confectionary company for promotional purposes, though they also constituted an essential means of circulating information about the war to a broad public. When a full set of cards is assembled, it reveals an important World War I–era figure. Each set contains eighteen cards. Included on the back of each card is a description of the figure or country represented and the surrounding scenes. This set of puzzle cards describes innovations in airplane technology and the role such technologies played during World War I. The central figure, Alberto Santos-Dumont, was an aviation pioneer who completed his first flight in 1906, just three years after the Wright Brothers. Surrounding him are depictions of aircraft blueprints, battle scenes involving airplanes, and views of resulting destruction.

Artist

Chocolates Jaime Boix, Barcelona|J. Lopez|Alberto Santos-Dumont

Date

1921–23

Medium

Color lithograph

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Purchase, Jefferson R. Burdick Bequest, 2017