A series of cards on Zoroastrian subjects were part of Liebig’s sales promotional campaign
Work started as an innovative promotional giveaway ended up becoming collectors’ items. According to an e-mail forwarded to Parsiana by several readers, Liebig and Company made meat extracts for cooking. Around the beginning of the 20th century, to tide over the shortage of meat in Europe meat extracts were imported from Latin American countries such as Argentina. As refrigerated ships were inefficient the meat would spoil, hence meat extracts were imported that could be added to any dish thereby giving it the flavor of meat.
According to the e-mails received "an advertisement campaign was suggested to Liebig. Free cards were printed and handed over to grocery stores to be given to customers as advertisements (much like today). Liebig, in his wisdom, had commissioned only the best artists to draw his cards, and soon people began to collect them and sales started to improve.”
Then Liebig decided to "make” different series so that people would always demand cards to complete the series of each topic. About 11 cards were issued (free) for each series.
Sales soared as people began to collect them. "By 1935 refrigerated ships had considerably improved... and also meat production, especially beef had increased in Europe and so Liebig then went on to other ventures.
"However, someone published a catalog of Liebig picture cards which along with the cards have become collectors’ items. In addition to the series on Zoroaster (see attached) there was a series on the Parsees of Bombay showing Doongerwadi and the last rites.”