A photo uploaded to social media by John C. Navarro shows a British cigarette card depicting a Maltese woman wearing an ghonella – a traditional piece of local clothing.

Though they are no longer produced, cigarette cards were trading cards of sorts issued by tobacco companies and included in cigarette packets. These served multiple purposes, such as stiffening cigarette packaging, advertising the tobacco company, and even encouraging smokers to collect a certain set of cards.

The cigarette card shared by John is part of the ‘Girls of Many Lands’ series – a collection of cigarette cards issued by Major Drapkin & Co in the first half of the 20th century.

According to londoncigcard.co.uk, this particular set of cards “contains colourful, almost art-deco head and shoulders pictures of young women in national costume, set against a black background.”

The countries depicted in the series include Afghanistan, Wales, Canada, and of course, Malta.

The full set consists of a whopping 50 cards, with the Malta card being ‘number 32’.

“The outdoor dress of the Maltese woman consists of a long black cloak and hood, the latter being gathered onto a frame which is held on the right hand,” the Malta cigarette card reads.

“This costume leaves the face uncovered, but seen from the side or from behind, it successfully hides the head and figure of the wearer,” it continues.

Rare cigarette card sets can nowadays be sold for hundreds, if not thousands, of Euros.

Facebook/John C.Navarro