Both of these images come from paintings by Arthur Wardle that were turned into “cigarette card. Cigarette cards were used to stiffen the package, and the cards themselves were collectibles.
1931 cigarette card from John Player & Sons in Nottingham, England.
1937 cigarette card from the W.D. & H.O. Wills company in Bristol, England.
Both of these dogs are fairly moderate in bone and feathering, and they are also relatively dark in color– which is exactly what we have come to expect from golden retrievers from the 1930’s.
“Relatively dark”? well, compared to some of the modern “creams”, yes. But not nearly as dark as some Goldens have been (and are). They do, however, illustrate the feeling that many fanciers of the time had, that Goldens should be one uniform shade, without the lighter or pale shadings on underparts and feathering of thighs and tail.
These two depictions also show the compact body and longer leg length of the working Golden (and all Goldens were considered working retrievers in the 1930s).
I’m talking compared to modern dogs as they often are.
The earlier one has slightly longer legs than the later one.
All I know is I like these goldens way more than all the uniformly light colored, overly squared-off teddy-bear-wannabes in the show ring now. These are the goldens I remember as a kid, and I was born in ’69.
I think that today “angles” are being over analyzed and the total picture has been lost. So many want blocky heads and allot of bone…. what’s that about? Pet owners end up shaving their Goldens today because they are overly furry…