Tony Smith as written a piece on music making as portrayed in Eve Langley's classic novel, The Pea-Pickers (1942). The focus is on the intriguing custom of playing a concertina while whirling your partner around the dance floor. What fun!
You can read Tony's article here https://verandahmusic.blogspot.com/p/articles.html
Cigarette cards were used by manufacturers to promote their products. They were attractive mini-art works that came with a pack of 'ciggies' or 'fags' and could be kept, left lying around or collected by adults and kids. This one is from Wills's cigarette company and shows an Australian soldier - later known colloquially as a 'digger', playing and singing the sentimental favourite, 'Home, Sweet Home'.
Light, easy to pack and usually cheap, concertinas were ideal for soldiers on active duty and are mentioned often in World War 1 sources, along with the even cheaper and more portable mouth organ. This card is part of a much larger set produced by the cigarette company to commemorate the heroics of the Anzacs at Gallipoli.
Soldiers, of course, were major targets for cigarette company advertising.
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