Dimensions: 10.5 x 14.8 cm. (4.1 x 5.8″)

Publisher/Editor: Cramers Art Institute, Dortmund

Condition: Postally used, backside written and postmarked. Typescript backside. Good condition with some signs of age including surface marks and wear to the paper.

Notes: Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel O.S.F. was a German Franciscan sister and artist. She is noted for her paintings which were the basis for Hummel figurines.

Hummel figurines (also known as M.I. Hummel figurines or simply Hummels) are a series of porcelain figurines based on the drawings of Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel, O.S.F. The sketch art of Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel began to appear in the 1930s in Germany and Switzerland, mostly pastoral drawings of children. The German art publisher Ars Sacra was involved in the early popularization of the art on postcards. Hummel’s “art cards” became popular throughout Germany, catching the eye of Franz Goebel, porcelain maker and head of W. Goebel Porzellanfabrik. Goebel acquired rights to turn Hummel’s drawing into figurines, producing the first line in 1935. The figurines were introduced at the Leipzig Trade Fair, a major European show for the industry. Goebel was known for presenting new and novel products that attracted American distributors. By the end of the year, 46 M.I. Hummel motifs were on the market, sold in America at Marshall Field & Co. of Chicago and other American retailers. (Wikipedia)