Fortune Telling and Divination Cards

English Fortune Telling, Tarot and Divination Cards

FROM THE 16th to the 18th centuries Spanish sources offer a lot of information about cartomantic and magical uses of playing cards. An early example is a reference by Pedro Ciruelo (1538) to fortune-telling using dice, playing cards or handwritten cards ("Estas suertes se echan en muchas maneras; o con dados o con cartas de naipes o con cédulas escritas"). See Ross Caldwell's Blog for more details of early references.

Playing cards are used in much of Spanish-speaking America for fortune-telling, predicting the future or even as a psychological adjunct to folk medicine and therapy. The tradition goes back many centuries. In all these examples, playing cards or tarot cards are used as symbols to make conscious psychological states within the mind and therefore are a valid tool for spiritual or introspective enquiry. They can reveal sources of stress or conflict in the client's world.

Playing cards were used in England for fortune telling in the middle of the 17th century, if not earlier. Cartomancy seems to have been practised elsewhere much earlier, particularly France, where there had been a revival of interest in fortune-telling, the occult, prophecy, clairvoyance, etc., perhaps inspired by the prophecies of Nostradamus (1503-1566) in the 16th century. By the end of the 17th century Britain's Renaissance had reached its zenith. The world was fraught with wonders, and the learned men of the day were constructing elaborate new schemes to encompass the whole of knowledge. There was a society of fortune tellers in London who called themselves the Mercurii of London.

This page focuses upon those packs which were conceived and/or published in England.

The cards shown right were published in the second half of the seventeenth century and are an example of English Divination or Oracle cards from this period. They involve looking up the prophecy by following a series of rules, reminiscent of numerology and dice throws, so that the answer is read on a specific card.

See Mary Greer's Tarot Blog for more details and references about divination with cards.

Fortune telling cards, c.1800 Reynolds and Sons, c.1870 Generally, that is to say in a large majority of packs, the 'fortune' is printed at the bottom of the card, beneath an allegorical illustration depicting the predestined outcome. Some packs are more engaging than others.

Left: Queen of clubs - "A generous lover will posess your charms; but wedlock's bands will stifle all alarms", Queen of Spades - "Corruption's shaft will poison quite thy heart; and from the great thou wilt receive the dart" from a Fortune Telling pack published in c.1800 with miniature playing cards in the top corners. Illustration right: "You will be happy together" from a Fortune Telling pack published by Reynolds & Sons, London, c.1870.

rtists and seers are drawn to design even more compelling fortune telling and tarot packs, drawing upon esoteric philosophies, religion, mysticism, egyptology or inspired speculation. In some cases the theories are sublime: some purport higher authority or even a secret manuscript as their basis, whilst others rely upon correspondences with cabbalism, astrology, numerology, witchcraft, and so on.

est known amongst the French cartomantic fortune tellers of the revolution era was Madame Lenormand, who had designed her own variant version of the tarot, and was said to have been consulted by Napoleon and predicted military disaster. There are several popular fortune telling narratives similar to the Madame Lenormand account found in booklets. It usually runs like this:

"At the end of the 18th century there lived a famous gypsy who had a great reputation as a fortune teller… she predicted the downfall of Napoleon and many other historical events… after her death her cards were found and are now reproduced here…"

[From "The Gypsy Bijou Fortune Telling Cards" guide, by Minetta. Published by Foulsham & Co., London, c.1910 (36 cards)].

Illustration right: card no.6: "Clear clouds a sign of contentment. Dark clouds announce trouble." Minetta was the author of another published work on the 'Science of Card Fortune Telling' which claims to make the reader become an adept. A crystal ball is also advertised in the booklet, to be sold separately. Click here to see Lenormand pack by Müller.

The Carreras Fortune Telling Cards (36 cards) were published in 1926 for W.D. & H.O. Wills, Bristol, and issued by Carreras Ltd in various sizes and formats, and are of the same type as the above example. A single card was enclosed inside every packet of "Black Cat" cigarettes.

Cards illustrated right: cards nos.6 and 7. Clouds are a sign of good foreboding although unpleasantness may soon turn up; the serpent warns of bad luck, hypocrisy, treason and loss.

The booklet accompanying the pack describes the cards as "those used by Mlle Silvia d'Arville's grandmother, who predicted Napoleon's victories, and his ruin…", and then gives instructions on using the cards.

The Picture Show fortune telling pack was presented with the magazine 'Picture Show' in October 1930, and shows popular personalities of the day as the court cards, whilst the pip cards are combined with zodiac signs or the seasons of the year.

Left: King of Diamonds/Lewis Stone: "… a kind hearted, loving man of fair complexion considering marriage or some important change.". Eight of Clubs/Cancer (The Crab): "People born under the sign of cancer are very difficult to understand…"

The pack comes as a series of uncut sheets of 16 cards each, printed in red and black only. The full divinatory interpretation for each card - upright and reversed - is printed on the back of the cards.

The Rameses Fortune Telling Cards were manufactured by Chas. Goodall & Son Ltd, London, c.1910. They are presented in a mock snakeskin box.

Left: back design from "The Rameses Fortune telling Cards" showing an Egyptian scene. Jack of Hearts: "Your dearest friend (pay attention to the cards nearest)" Reverse: "A pleasure loving bachelor; a fickle lover".

The pack comprises an ordinary pack of 52 cards, plus one Joker or 'Subject' card, with interpretations printed at the top and foot of each playing card. An Instructions leaflet contains a treatise on how to give readings.

The Romany Fortune Telling Cards were published in 1935 by Thomson-Leng Publications for readers of women's magazines of the day (Red Letter, Red Star Weekly, Weekly Welcome, My Weekly, Secrets, Woman's Way, etc.), and printed by The Universal Playing Card Company, Leeds. Original price: 2/6d.

Left: box from "The Original ROMANY Fortune telling Cards" showing a gypsy by a campfire, reading cards. Jack of Hearts: "A fair man will bring you much happiness" Reverse: "Someone interested in you is fickle".

The pack comprises an ordinary pack of 52 cards, plus one Joker, with complimentary and uncomplimentary interpretations printed at the top and foot of each playing card. The extra card accompanying the pack describes the "Original Romany Way of Fortune Telling".