Lambert & Butler, later a prominent branch within the Imperial Tobacco Company, began life in the mid‑nineteenth century as a small but ambitious London tobacconist. Founded by Charles Lambert and Charles Butler, the firm grew steadily through a combination of careful craftsmanship and an instinctive understanding of the expanding urban market. By the turn of the century their name had become familiar across Britain, associated with quality blends and a willingness to embrace new methods of production. When the great amalgamation of 1901 created the Imperial Tobacco Company, Lambert & Butler entered a new era - one in which their brand identity was preserved, but their resources and reach were vastly increased.

The interwar period saw Lambert & Butler participate fully in the flourishing culture of cigarette cards, which had become one of the most effective promotional tools in the industry. While some manufacturers issued dozens of sets across a wide range of subjects, Lambert & Butler were more selective, preferring carefully curated series that reflected both artistic merit and popular interest. In 1930 they produced what would become their most admired sporting issue: Footballers 1930-1, a set of fifty portrait cards rendered in finely detailed line drawings. The series stood apart from many contemporary issues, its emphasis on illustration giving it a distinctive, almost studio portrait quality that appealed to collectors who valued artistry as much as sporting fame.

Among the players chosen for inclusion was West Ham United’s prolific centre forward Vic Watson, who appeared on card number thirty-seven. Watson, already a legend at Upton Park by the early 1930s, was the club’s leading marksman and one of the most feared goalscorers in the country. His presence in the Lambert & Butler set reflected not only his extraordinary record in claret and blue but also his national stature at a time when footballers were becoming household names.