Luis A. Fourvel
The Fourvel family was of French origin but had settled in Spain during the XIX century. In the 1930s Luis Fourvel went to Argentina and established a printing business in Buenos Aires which flourished there until the mid 1960s. Fourvel's main brand name was ‘Naipes Side Car’ and this was used for Spanish, English and Belgian-style packs.
Naipes Side Car Spanish-Suited
Above: sealed pack in paper wrapper with brown 50 centavos tax band [Decreto 18.235] and green 'Mercury' duty stamp on the four of cups, Spanish-suited ‘Naipes Side Car’, Luis A. Fourvel y Cía, Buenos Aires, c.1944. The back design includes a small motorcycle, which also appears on the wrapper and four of cups.
Above: sealed pack in paper wrapper with brown 50 centavos tax band [Decreto 18.235] and green 'Mercury' duty stamp on the four of cups, ‘Naipes Side Car’, Luis A. Fourvel y Cía, Buenos Aires, c.1948. The back design has been redrawn and an overstamp on the four of cups reads: "Garantizamos Cartulina Inglesa". It is not known exactly when Fourvel was sourcing English cardboard, but supplies would have been restricted during the war period more →
Naipes Side Car English Style
Above: ‘Side-Car’ playing cards manufactured by Luis A. Fourvel y Cía, Buenos Aires, came in various back designs and more than one box design. The motorcycle & sidecar motifs are conspicious. Packs often state they were produced using English cardboard, but supplies would have been restricted during the war period. The outer wrappers usually have a blue or orange 1 Peso tax band referring to Decree 18,235 [1944-1964].
Side Car
Luis A. Fourvel y Cía manufactured cards under the brand name ‘Side Car’. This was perhaps an allusion to USPCC's Bicycle brand. In the Spanish version a motorcycle and sidecar motif was used, but the standard Anglo-American version (‘Side-Car’) used the same name, but the motorcycle Joker motif was a redrawing of Goodall's Joker.
These two versions of the ‘Side Car’ motif can be found on Jokers, backs, wrappers, boxes and the Ace of Spades.
A Belgian/Genoese version of ‘Side Car’ was also produced, probably for casino use. Advertising and non-standard packs also started appearing in the 1950s.
REFERENCES
Marotta, Florencia: Sellados e Impuestos en Naipes Argentinos, Buenos Aires, 2007
