1938 Gum, Inc. Horrors of War Trading Card - J. Edgar Hoover

This is a vintage non-sport commercial trading card from the iconic 'Horrors of War' series, produced by Gum, Inc. in Philadelphia circa 1938. The card features a lithographic artistic portrait of J. Edgar Hoover, the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The illustration is executed in a realistic, somber style characteristic of pre-World War II commercial art, utilizing a palette of olive greens, deep browns, and off-white. Hoover is depicted in a formal suit and tie with a white pocket square against a horizontally striped, neutral background. The card is printed on thick, period cardstock with white borders and a black block-letter caption at the bottom reading 'J. EDGAR HOOVER'. The card appears to be in a plastic protective sleeve, which may be obscuring subtle surface wear, but it shows sharp corners and clean edges, suggesting a high grade of preservation from a collectors' set. There are no immediate signs of creasing, heavy foxing, or staining visible in the image. This set is highly collectible for its historical context and its detailed, often graphic, depictions of contemporary global conflicts and significant political figures of the late 1930s.