Jaques’ Illustrated Proverbs
Jaques’ Illustrated Proverbs, c.1870. The complete proverb is printed along the top of each card in the set.
Jaques’ New Game of Illustrated Proverbs depicts typical Victorian social stereotypes and aphorisms intended to educate, console and advise young people. The first card in each well-known proverb features a hand-coloured engraving illustrating the general idea of the proverb, whilst the remaining cards in the set each contain one word inside a sort of cartouche. Thus complete sets can be made up reading Prevention is Better Than Cure, Necessity is the Mother of Invention, Birds of a Feather Flock Together, Delays are Dangerous and so on. These quotes have been passed on from generation to generation. Many originate from Biblical or Roman times. Some are still used on a regular basis and others are relics of a time and era which has taken its place in history.
An Early Edition, c.1870
Later Edition, c.1885
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See also: The London Post Quits Kingdoms of Europe Counties of England Jaques' Happy Families Proverbs and Maxims Jack-of-all-Trades Cartes Questions-Devinettes
By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
Founder and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.
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