Set of 12 German Trade Cards: Predictions of Future of Technology, issued 1931

Description

Offered here are twelve color German Trade Cards from 1931 predicting the future of modern society. The card was issued in 1931 by the Wagner Margarine Co. of Elmshorn, Germany for the company’s third album (no specific title). The cards are the complete Series 12 and 13 (“Zukunftsfantasien” = Fantasies of the Future). The text on the back of the cards read:
Series 12, No. 1:
“An Artificial Island. Since no island lies on the shortest path to America [across the ocean] that airplanes could use for emergency landings
the idea has been put forward to anchor an artificial landing place in the middle of the ocean. Naturally, there would have to be hotels, spas, restaurants and even a movie theater on the island, so that the passengers could rest in comfort, in the event that a storm causes them to stay on the island for several days.”
Series 12, No. 2:
“The Single-Rail Train. In order to make transportation faster people in the future will build one-rail train lines where the train cars roll on two wheels, one in front of the other. The railcars themselves will have an aerodynamic form that will reduce wind resistance to a minimum. The locomotive will have a gyroscope that will compensate for any movement of the cars to the sides. Since the train will be traveling at the great speed of 300 mph it will have to have stabilizers, just like rocket-automobiles, in order to prevent the train from jumping off the tracks and causing a major catastrophe.”
Series 12, No. 3:
“The Rocket-Powered Airplane. In the future airplanes will be powered by rockets that will be affixed at the back of the plane. The exhaust from the rockets will propel the plane forwards. Our picture shows a rocket-powered plane carrying 10,000 kilograms of postal deliveries on the way from Berlin to Tokyo, flying over the Great Wall of China at the Nankou Pass. Since it will be traveling at 600 mph the route from Berlin to Tokyo would only take about 8 hours, whereas a steamship today requires about 50 days to cover the same route.”
Series 12, No. 4:
“Wireless Private Telephone and Television. In the future everyone will have his own device to send and receive communications on a specific wave length, so that he can talk with relatives and acquaintances. Television technology has also improved so much in the future that people will be able to see the friends they are speaking with. Such devices will no longer be tied to a specific location, but will be transportable in a container the size of a contemporary photo camera.”
Series 12, No. 5:
“The Rocket-Powered Air Cruiser. The rocket-powered airplane grows into a larger class of planes that are essentially just wings. The luxuriously appointed cabins are built into the wings and can hold up to 400 passengers. Since there is no longer a formal “body” apart from the wings, the upright fins are found on the tips of the wings. The pilot cabin that controls the rocket ignition is located in the middle of the wings.
Series 12, No. 6:
“A New Energy Source. In the future we will transport large loads through the powerful energy that is released with the splitting of the atom. Automobiles will be powered by a relatively small motor powered by atomic energy. The speed of these cars will be correspondingly faster than before. On divided highways they will travel at a speed of 120 to 180 mph through the city. On country roads the speed can be as high as 600 mph.”
Series 13, No. 1:
“An Ocean Giant. The form of the steamship has drastically changed. All of the bulky structures on today’s ships will be gone; not even one smokestack will be visible. They will no longer be needed, as in the future we will be using atomic energy. But even the size of tomorrow’s ships will be much larger. The ship pictured on the front of this card will be able to transport 20,000 passengers in two days from Hamburg, Germany to New York.
Series 13, No. 2:
“Big City Streets. Horses are no longer around and the electric vehicles have been junked, since they can no longer accommodate the transport needs of the people. The pedestrians no longer have to fear being among car traffic, because streets and sidewalks will be kept separated from one another. All people will dress the same: shirts and pants, both with zippers. In our picture on the front of this card they are carrying nothing with them except portable telephone and television devices.”
Series 13, No. 3:
“Landing a Future Airship. The giant airship in our picture is about to land in its gigantic port. Such airships will no longer be floated with gas and driven by motors, but rather by a transformer that can reverse the force of gravity to lift the ship. In this way it will become possible to easily lift, transport and lower even the greatest loads.”
Series 13, No. 4:
“Landing a Spaceship on the Moon. Doesn’t the picture show the opposite of what we expect? Shouldn’t the rockets be at the back of the spaceship and shoot their exhaust out the back? No, the picture is correct. The spaceship is in the process of landing and therefore the braking rockets have to be ignited in order to reduce the speed of the ship. Once reduced, a landing on the moon will now be possible.”
Series 13, No. 5:
“A Private Airplane Powered with Atomic Energy. Here we have the possibility to look at an airplane more closely. Well, where are the propellers? That was in the past! Planes in the future will lift off vertically and descend the same way. The motor of this vehicle is a small capsule in which the nuclear fission occurs. On the right in our picture are an airplane garage and parking place.”
Series 13, No. 6:
“A Spaceship Harbor. Since there are many rare minerals on the moon a company in America, the Moma Co. (Moon Minerals Exploitation Co.) invested 20 Billion dollars and caused a lively traffic in spaceships between the earth and the moon. This traffic will refuel at a rocket ship station floating freely in space between the earth and the moon.
The card measures 3 and 7/8 inches by 2 and ¾ inches.
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