Belga was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

brand of

cigarette A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opp ...

s that was owned and manufactured by

British American Tobacco British American Tobacco plc (BAT) is a British multinational company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, tobacco and other nicotine products. The company, established in 1902, is headquartered in London, England. As of 2019, it is the large ...

History

The brand was launched in 1923 by the

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

vendors Alphonse and François Vander Elst. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

ended, Alphonse and François Vander Elst wanted to launch a brand which the Belgians could be proud of. The new brand was named after the then currency Belga, exactly the price of a pack. In addition, the brand name was adorned in the Belgian

tricolour A tricolour () or tricolor () is a type of flag or banner design with a triband design which originated in the 16th century as a symbol of republicanism, liberty, or revolution. The flags of France, Italy, Romania, Mexico, and Ireland were ...

in order to stir up patriotic feelings of the citizens. Soon Belga grew into the most popular brand of Belgium. In 1941, the brand was removed from the market for a few years after the

German occupation of Belgium during World War II The German occupation of Belgium (french: link=no, Occupation allemande, nl, Duitse bezetting) during World War II began on 28 May 1940, when the Belgian army surrendered to German forces, and lasted until Belgium's liberation by the Western ...

because of its patriotic character. The brand was known for its iconic image, designed by

Leo Marfurt Leo Marfurt (1894–1977) was a Swiss-Belgian commercial artist, best known for his posters of the 1930s, in an innovative Art Deco style that sometimes incorporated elements of Futurism, Cubism and Surrealism. Life Marfurt was born in Aarau, ...

, of a lady with a yellow scarf and black hat with a yellow feather standing against a red background. Paula Colfs-Bollaert, from

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, was the model.De Morgen, 10 november 2005, geciteerd o
merksem.net
/ref> Advertising posters invariably showed a smoking woman: the American illustrator Lawrence Sterne Stevens made a well-known poster depicting Netta Duchâteau as a

flapper Flappers were a subculture of young Western women in the 1920s who wore short skirts (knee height was considered short during that period), bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptab ...

in 1930. In 1990, the woman's head was removed from the packet, but later returned in a modified form in 2005. In 2004, the cigarette factory ''Tabacofina-Vander Elst'' located in

Merksem Merksem (; former spelling: ''Merxem'') is a district of the municipality and city of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It has 44,808 inhabitants as of 2021. History The history of Merksem goes back to Gallo-Roman times. During that perio ...

closed its doors and moved production to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. In June 2014, it was announced that the brand would be pulled off the shelves and replaced by

Lucky Strike Lucky Strike is an American brand of cigarettes owned by the British American Tobacco group. Individual cigarettes of the brand are often referred to colloquially as "Luckies." Throughout their 150 year history, Lucky Strike has had fluctuating ...

. Main market was

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. Other markets were

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

, the

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

References

{{British American Tobacco 1923 establishments in Belgium 2014 disestablishments in Belgium 2014 disestablishments in the Netherlands Belgian brands British American Tobacco brands 1923 introductions Flappers

History

See also

References