Gigerl-Tarock by Joseph Glanz

This atypical deck was created by graphic artist Julius Berndl around 1885 for the Josef Glanz card factory in Vienna. The deck of 54 cards corresponds in structure to the standard Austrian tarock, but the individual design offers caricatures of a popular type of the period, known as the gigerl, on the court and tarock cards. The social popularity of this character was reflected in literature, songs and plays of the time. The card manufacturer also joined the trend with this special deck. Caricatures drawn on single-ended cards show this urban dandy in various settings. The depictions often use contemporary drawings, described in Frank Nauhauser's insightful analysis in Talon magazine¹.

Gigerl

The term was used by Eduard Pötzl in 1884 and popularized in his newspaper articles. It refers to an extroverted member of the Viennese urban society of the time, a fashion enthusiast who uncritically accepts current fads, with a particular fondness for pointy shoes, ill-fitting clothes and eccentric movements. The word ‘gigerl’ is interpreted by K. Reisinger as a local Viennese term for roast chicken [hähnchen]. F Nauhauser, referring to E. Pötzl's account, proves the origin in the Middle High German dialect and in his article offers a number of contemporary cultural references to this term. A modern equivalent might be a flamboyant fashion victim or trend-chasing influencer—half-dandy, half-caricature.

Above: Gigerl-Tarock caricature deck designed by Julius Berndl and manufactured by Joseph Glanz c.1885.

This set is preserved in the collection of the Vienna Museum². The cards, measuring 63 x 106 mm, are made by line lithography with stencil colouring. The ace of hearts has an Austrian 30 kreutzer tax stamp used between 1882-1899 . Berndl's signature is on tarock card no I.

Acknowledgement & References

I would like to thank Mr. Wolfgang Altfahrt for substantially supplementing the initial draft of this article.

1. Frank Nauhauser : Gigerl Tarock in Talon Nr. 33 / 2024 in German online pp.178-192►
2. Vienna Museum : Gigerl Tarock►
3. Klaus Reisinger / Tarocke. Kulturgeschichte auf Kartenbildern, part II. pg. 418-419