Historic Boston and Vicinity

Published June 02, 2010 • Updated August 22, 2023

Historic Boston and Vicinity Souvenir Playing Cards, 1900 & 1909.

Historic Boston and Vicinity Souvenir Playing Cards, 1909

54 cards, published by Chisholm Brothers, Portland, Maine, manufactured by the U.S. Playing Card Co.

Historic Boston and Vicinity Souvenir playing cards, published by Chisholm Brothers, c.1910. The back has a large oval with the Bunker Hill Monument in the centre. This is the second edition in which the oval outline on the back design is outlined in gold and the title is in gold print. The cards have the similar oval photograph scenes of the area as the first edition (with some different scenes), which are tinted in a different colour for each suit.

Historic Boston and Vicinity Souvenir Playing Cards, 1900

First edition, 1900 - courtesy Peter Burnett

I happen to have the first edition, published c. 1900 by Chisholm Bros, Portland, Maine. The 53 black-and-white oval photos depict places of interest in and around Boston, “the hub of the universe” according to the text on the extra card. The single joker shows the Old State House, while the reverse of the cards displays the Bunker Hill Monument, around which is a bank of mountain laurel, the State Flower of Massachusetts. This edition has uncoloured oval photos without a border - unlike the 2nd editin (above) which has a different colour background for each suit. Also, if you look carefully, you'll see that the photos in the 1st ed. aren't always the same as the 2nd ed. and the heading of the descriptive card is also different. See the box►

See: Encyclopedia of American playing cards, p. 255 no.S6.

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By Simon Wintle

Spain • Member since February 01, 1996

I am the founder of The World of Playing Cards (est. 1996), a website dedicated to the history, artistry and cultural significance of playing cards and tarot. Over the years I have researched various areas of the subject, acquired and traded collections and contributed as a committee member of the IPCS and graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal. Having lived in Chile, England, Wales, and now Spain, these experiences have shaped my work and passion for playing cards. Amongst my achievements is producing a limited-edition replica of a 17th-century English pack using woodblocks and stencils—a labour of love. Today, the World of Playing Cards is a global collaborative project, with my son Adam serving as the technical driving force behind its development. His innovative efforts have helped shape the site into the thriving hub it is today. You are warmly invited to become a contributor and share your enthusiasm.