Belgian Dutch trade card advertising Columba margerine. Columba vervangt boter translates as “Columba replaces butter.” Front shows a drawing with a caption in french, “Chasseur de la Garde-Grenadier Napoléon, 1810.” The term chasseur translates as “hunter” and grenadier refers to a type of soldier in Napoléon’s Grand Army, originally specialized in throwing grenades. There were various sections (divisions?) in Napoleon’s army and changes occurred in the terms used for the soldiers; it’s very possible that the French phrase on the card may refer to two types of soldiers rather than one. Of course, this rendering is obviously a “cute” version of a few of these soldiers, and probably not meant to be 100% historically accurate.

The back of the card translates loosely as:  “Margerine Factory. Ch. Vanden Bussche. Merxem-Antwerpen. Requests in all Grocery-shops. Columba replaces cream butter for all use. Zoo healthy and nutritious as cream butter. 50 per 0/0 better buy than cream butter. Replaces butter.”

Merxem is a district in the city of Antwerp, in the Flemish region of Belgium.

Price:  $5.00

Sources:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenadier

http://theminiaturespage.com/news/943139/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merksem