Pope Pius XI, attended by a chaplain and a Papal Chamberlain with a Noble Guard...

Pope Pius XI (1857-1939), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 1922 until 1939; the Noble Guard ( Guardia Nobile) was one of the volunteer household guard units serving the Pope; formed by Pope Pius VII in 1801 as the pope's personal guard and abolished in 1970 by Pope Paul VI; the black costume of the chamberlain with gold chain is that of the Spanish court in the 16th century; from a series of illustrations of life in the Vatican, produced for the French market by Liebig as advertising trade cards; Liebig's meat extract, manufactured in Uruguay by Fray Bentos, became by the late 19th century a staple food in European homes and was extensively used in World War II;