The World of Playing Cards Logo
Published June 30, 2014 Updated January 30, 2022

42: Andrew Dougherty

Andrew Dougherty was one of the biggest American card-makers in the 19th century.

USA Dougherty Add to Collection

Andrew Dougherty was one of the biggest American card-makers in the 19th century, if not the biggest. After a relatively early start in a small way in 1848, at which time he produced packs of rather poor quality in terms of the cardboard he used, but which had very unusual courts, he invented and developed new methods of production and his business expanded hugely, so that in the 1870s he was producing three and a half million packs a year. Since there is a detailed description of his firm in Tom and Judy Dawson's Hochman's Encyclopedia (pp.67-80), I will not attempt to reproduce it all here. Instead I would like to give examples of the way his standard courts developed. Given his output during the last third of the 19th century, it's hardly surprising that so many of his packs have survived.

For a full list of my Dougherty cards click here

After Thomas Crehore's factory burned down in 1846, finishing his business, aces of spades with the name spelt without a final e (Crehor) were used by at least two makers: Samuel Hart and Andrew Dougherty. There are a number of Crehor packs that can be attributed to Dougherty. One of them is found with either a Crehor AS or a Dougherty one. Here the traditional postures are hardly discernible: lots of profile courts and even a full-faced QH.

Above: Crehor/Dougherty, c.1850

There is another version in which the kings and jacks are the same and the queens have taken on their traditional postures.

Above: Crehor/Dougherty, c.1850

And there is even a double-ended version in which some of the courts are based on those above, whereas others have been redesigned and look more traditional.

Above: Crehor/Dougherty, c.1850

Slightly later possibly, there is a different set of courts, which by now all have traditional postures, and which is also found with a Crehor or a Dougherty AS.

Above: Above: Crehor/Dougherty, c.1855

Some time after this he is using a variety of traditional designs, one of which comes from during his short partnership with the Coughtry brothers. It is an early version of US8, a design used later by Lawrence & Cohen.

Above: Above: Coughtry & Dougherty, c.1852

In the 1850s he also introduced packs with the old-fashioned design used in Faro packs, harking back to the wood-block and stencil era, though his were printed in letterpress. These courts were used for many years.

Above: c.1855-80

He finally settled on De La Rue's design (D3, single-ended, and D4/D4.1, double-ended) as the basis of his later packs. His copy of D3 is very close to the original and he used it in his illuminated pack of c.1865. (By this time De La Rue were producing very few single-ended packs.). Even the back design is a copy of Owen Jones's popular Cotton Plant (see page 59) made into a double-ended design with added wheat heads.

Above: Illuminated pack, USD3, c.1865

The double-ended packs were fairly crude copies of D4/D4.1 and may have been used in cheaper packs only.

Above: USD4, c.1860

The design was then redrawn in his own style: the faces then took on an appearance of the old wood-block style, which was a distinctive characteristic of Dougherty's cards at this time. They were used in all grades of card.

Above: c.1872

These courts were also used in the triplicate packs a few years later.

Triplicates, 1876-80

There are (at least) two versions: the lower one has larger indices than the other and has a turned QH. This turning moves the pip to the right to avoid the index, but it is not consistent in the pack, as the kings and JS have their pips cut into. The final version with letters as well as picture indices was produced in 1883 and the courts have been altered with all their pips on the right to accommodate the indices.

Above: Triplicate + Indicator indices, 1883

By this time the courts had had their somewhat strange wood-block faces tidied up to look more like other contemporary cards.

Above: Indicators, c.1890

A link between his wide-size courts and his later bridge cards is furnished by the Polo brand, which was made smaller than even modern bridge cards in order to facilitate holding thirteen cards. I don't know whether these courts were also used in the similar sized Jewel brand packs.

Above: Polo whist/bridge cards, c.1900

After the turn of the century the indices became bigger with consequent redrawing of the courts. Normal sized bridge cards were also introduced, which involved yet another complete redrawing.

Above: Top: Tally-Ho, c.1910. Bottom: bridge size, c.1925

These courts were not used much after the formation of the Consolidated-Dougherty division of USPCC in 1930, though there are examples from as late as the early 1950s.

avatar
137 Articles

By Ken Lodge

Member since May 14, 2012

​I'm Ken Lodge and have been collecting playing cards since I was about eighteen months old (1945). I am also a trained academic, so I can observe and analyze reasonably well. I've applied these analytical techniques over a long period of time to the study of playing cards and have managed to assemble a large amount of information about them, especially those of the standard English pattern. About Ken Lodge →


Related Articles

Woodblock and Stencil King of Diamonds

Woodblock and Stencil King of Diamonds

A limited edition art print of the King of Diamonds 1984 woodblock joker.

Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Hearts

Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Hearts

A limited edition art print of the Jack of Hearts 1984 woodblock joker.

Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Clubs

Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Clubs

A limited edition art print of the Jack of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.

Woodblock and Stencil Queen of Clubs

Woodblock and Stencil Queen of Clubs

A limited edition art print of the Queen of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.

1982 Star Trek II • The Wrath of Khan

Star Trek II • The Wrath of Khan

This deck is a vibrant photographic tribute to "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," one of the most be...

1992 Norfin® Trolls

Norfin® Trolls

Troll dolls with gaudy hairstyles in a multitude of different costumes.

2002 Impressionist Art Cards

Impressionist Art Cards

Details of 13 paintings by 8 different Impressionist artists on elongated cards.

2003 Safety playing cards

Safety playing cards

Safety playing cards designed to reinforce the “Think and Be Safe” concept.

2016 Politicards 2016 & Politikids 2016

Politicards 2016 & Politikids 2016

Politicards™ 2016 & Politikids 2016: twin decks of satirical playing cards produced by Peter Green f...

2004 K Deck

K Deck

“K Deck” political playing cards, USA, c. 2004.

2016 Tuxedo playing cards

Tuxedo playing cards

Stylish ‘Tuxedo’ playing cards with animal faces created by Natalia Silva, USA, 2016.

2003 The Deck of Hillary

The Deck of Hillary

‘The Deck of Hillary’ with quotes and photographs of Hillary Clinton, USA, 2003.

2005 Shakespeare playing cards: Insults

Shakespeare playing cards: Insults

Shakespeare Insults playing cards with portraits by Jan Padover, USA, 2005.

2004 Shakespeare playing cards: Quotes

Shakespeare playing cards: Quotes

Shakespeare playing cards: Quotes, the first volume of a double set published by Prospero Art of San...

2012 Old Testament playing cards

Old Testament playing cards

Old Testament playing cards with illustrations by Jan Padover, USA, 2012.

2008 Politicards 2008

Politicards 2008

Politicards ’08 with caricatures cast as characters from classic movies, USA.

2003 Starz behind bars

Starz behind bars

Starz behind bars playing cards with mug shots of the rich and famous under arrest, USA, 2003.

2003 House of Cards: Deck of Bush

House of Cards: Deck of Bush

House of Cards: Deck of Bush playing cards presenting reasons not to re-elect President Bush for a s...

Southern Comfort

Southern Comfort

Southern Comfort whiskey playing cards, USA.

2011 Holy Trinity Church playing cards

Holy Trinity Church playing cards

Holy Trinity Church commemoration playing cards, USA, 2011.

1992 Batman® playing cards

Batman® playing cards

Characters from Batman: The Animated Series on a pack issued in 1992.

2010 FDR New Deal Deck

FDR New Deal Deck

Facsimile of ‘FDR New Deal Deck’ of 1934 re-published by Bill Schroeder, USA, 2010.

2008 Gay / Really straight Republican hypocrites

Gay / Really straight Republican hypocrites

Gay / Really straight Republican hypocrites, USA, 2008

2008 Politically Wild John McCain

Politically Wild John McCain

“Politically Wild John McCain” published by Newt’s Playing Cards, USA, 2008.

Mohegan Sun playing cards

Mohegan Sun playing cards

Mohegan Sun playing cards published by Gemaco for Mohegan Sun casino.

1970 Ripley’s Believe It or Not! playing cards

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! playing cards

Strange facts from Robert Ripley’s ‘Believe It or Not’ books, in the form of cartoons.

2020 Undressed deck

Undressed deck

Undressed deck created by Edi Rudo and Néro Catineau, USA, 2020.

Fate fortune telling cards

Fate fortune telling cards

Fate fortune telling cards published by Merrimack Publishing Corporation, USA.

2004 Politicards 2004

Politicards 2004

Politicards 2004 with satirical cartoons by the award-winning illustrator Peter Green, USA.

1972 Politicards 1971

Politicards 1971

Politicards 1971 for the presidential election in which Richard Nixon won a landslide victory.

1996 Politicards 1996

Politicards 1996

Politicards ’96 with satirical caricatures on every card by Peter Green, USA.

1984 Politicards 1984

Politicards 1984

Politicards 1984 with caricatures by Donald Gates, published by the Kamber Group, USA.

1980 Politicards 1980

Politicards 1980

Politicards 1980 in which Ronald Reagan defeated the incumbent Jimmy Carter, with caricatures by Kei...

1981 Card Tricks

Card Tricks

Stereotypical representations of gay men and men they most admire, in a 1981 pack from San Francisco...

1974 Royal flash playing cards

Royal flash playing cards

Royal flash playing cards with non-standard suits, USA, 1974.

1975 Ms. playing cards

Ms. playing cards

‘Ms. playing cards’ promoting votes for women, USA, 1975.

1986 Old Met playing cards

Old Met playing cards

Old Met playing cards published by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, USA, 1986.

2016 Don Quixote playing cards

Don Quixote playing cards

Don Quixote playing cards designed by Nam Tibon, USA, 2016.

2017 Calaveras De Azúcar

Calaveras De Azúcar

Calaveras De Azúcar playing cards produced by Natalia Silva, USA, 2017.

52 Ways to talk about adoption

52 Ways to talk about adoption

‘52 Ways to talk about adoption’ family-centred playing cards produced by the Center for Adoption Su...

2017 Russian folk art playing cards

Russian folk art playing cards

Russian folk art playing cards produced by Natalia Silva, USA, 2017.

2016 Trump playing cards

Trump playing cards

Trump playing cards produced by the Godesky brothers, USA, 2016.

1967 Winstanley Geographical cards

Winstanley Geographical cards

Facsimile of Winstanley’s Geographical cards produced by Harold & Virginia Wayland, 1967.

Brooks dna playing cards

Brooks dna playing cards

Brooks dna playing cards produced by Gemaco for Brooks running shoes.