Whist by Ditha Moser

Even before her Jugendstil Tarock, Ditha Moser created a deck of cards for the game of Whist in 1905. It was one of the luxury design products of the Wiener Werkstätte. The great minimalistic red’n’black solution corresponds to the current art trend of the time, which we now refer to as the Vienna Secession¹, especially its geometric lines, the leading representative of which was Josef Hoffmann. See the box prototype

Ditha Moser² (1883–1969)

Born as Edith Mautner Von Markhof to a wealthy Austrian industrial family (for example mustard production since 1841). From 1902 to 1905 she studied at the Academy for Applied Arts in Vienna as a guest student under Josef Hoffmann. In 1905, she married Viennese artist Koloman Moser, her professor.

I consider the oblique application of the graphic motif on the “shield” of the jack cards to be a truly masterful detail. Of course, the field on the ace of hearts for the tax stamp is omitted. However, the overall design of the cards is somewhat unfriendly to the player. Perhaps only suitable for slow, silent use in the game of whist. It would be advisable to verify this by playing.

Above: Whist designed by Ditha Moser and produced Josef Glanz in cooperation with the printer Albert Berger, 1905. 52 cards measuring 45 x 75 mm. Cards from the collections of the MAK – Museum für angewandte Kunst / Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna

The original lithographic edition of 52 cards measuring 45 x 75 mm was produced by the established card company Josef Glanz in cooperation with the printer Albert Berger. It is part of the collections of the MAK – Museum für angewandte Kunst / Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna - available online³. A physical specimen can be seen in the permanent exhibition of the Leopold Museum in Vienna.

A modern re-edition of the deck was published in 1986 by Piatnik as Ditha Moser Whist-Spielkarten as part of its Piatnik Edition. This edition was made in the dimensions 51 x 82 mm.

References

1. Wikipedia: Vienna Secession►
2. Wikipedia: Ditha Moser►
3. MAK Collection Online: Ditha Moser►