W. H. Willis & Co
c.1869 - 1892
a brief history...
Willis & Company was formed in 1869, having been preceded by Charles Steer at the same address (80 Long Acre, London), who also manufactured playing cards during the 1850s and 60s.
Sample books and price lists began appearing in 1870 offering a wide range of cards of different qualities, prices, designs and style. The designer/engraver Harrison Weir produced back designs for Willis & Co. Willis cards were all of the double-ended courts variety, and they also followed the trend in round corners and indices once these became preferred by card players. The quaint Ace of Spades shows many similarities with the newly-designed Goodall Ace and may have been by the same artist (Cruikshank). The court cards are in a decorative style. There are no known Willis Jokers.
Above: cards by Willis & Co., c.1875, square corners, no indices. In the left-hand bottom row someone added index numbers in pencil, probably imitating those already printed on other cards. Although the court cards are double-ended, the numeral cards are still single-ended.
Above: back designs by Willis & Co. These are described in specimen books as "Calico pattern", "Ornamental", "Ornamental Gold", etc.
The business continued to expand during the 1870s and early 1880s and won prize medals at International Exhibitions. Then the playing card interests were wound down and sold off in 1887. Subsequent efforts to re-start the firm's playing card production appear to have been in vain, although Willis & Co continued to operate as cardboard makers until around 1893. Willis & Co printed the delightful Political Pack shown below in 1886.
Deakin's Political Playing Cards
The wholesale stationers Deakin & Company, of 45 Eastcheap, London EC saw the opportunity to publish a political pack with caricatures of political figures relating to the Irish Home Rule movement which was a contentious issue of the day. The packs were printed in three editions by Willis and Co., and the first edition in 1886 sold 60,000 packs in three months. In subsequent editions details on some cards were modified.
Above: first edition of Deakin's Political Playing Cards (1886) with the standard Willis & Co. Ace of Spades overprinted with the title of the pack and Deakin's address. The cards are named as follows: Jack of Hearts Hartington, King of Spades Parnell, Queen of Clubs Biggar, Jack of Clubs Healy, Queen of Diamonds Iddesleigh, Jack of Diamonds Churchill, King of Spades Chamberlain and the Jack of Spades Dilke. [Image courtesy Pauline Rhodes]. See more →
Above: Box and six cards from the 3rd edition (1888) which now has a special Ace of Spades featuring the same design as the box (notice the "triplicate" indices).
