Whether Pokémon or soccer players, Star Wars or Disney movies - trading cards have long enjoyed cult status in pop culture! Companies discovered the magical appeal of the little colorful pictures as early as the 19th century: To boost the flourishing business with its vending machine chocolate, the Stollwerck company, for example, began issuing trading cards in the 1890s. Some of these were designed by renowned artists such as Max Liebermann or Adolph Menzel. Fakes even circulated of the much sought-after "Liebig pictures" with which "Liebig's Fleischextrakt" courted the favor of its buyers. The spectrum of products advertised with trading cards was enormous, and the variety of themes was almost incomprehensible. They ranged from art, music, technology and fashion to historical events, visions of the future and images of theater and film stars. There really was a "picture for every occasion!" The enormous importance and spread of the collectible picture at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century can therefore hardly be overestimated.
And its success story continued: an explosion in the popularity of trading cards set in during the corona pandemic, especially for sportsman and Pokémon cards. For decades, Panini's sticker albums - from World Cup booklets to Disney movies - also delighted collectors of all ages.
With around 80 exhibits from the company's own collection and from private collections, "A Picture for All Seasons" offers visitors an exciting and nostalgic look back, into and out of the fascinating world of collectible pictures.
The exhibition is a cooperative project with the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center 1472 "Transformations of the Popular" at the University of Siegen and is accompanied by a scientific symposium.
