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Czech Bohemian style playing cards

Published November 15, 2024 Updated November 18, 2024

Czech Bohemian style playing cards with a charming aesthetic, reflecting the cultural and social life of the time.

1950 Czechoslovakia Obchodní Tiskárny Folklore

In this Bohemian-style deck printed by Obchodní Tiskárny the court cards are portrayed outdoors in rural outfits. As music plays a significant role in Czechoslovakian folklore several instruments including fiddles and wind instruments can be seen. Cockerels and a teddy bear suit have been substituted for the eagle and other nationalistic symbols. The charming vignettes of homely scenes on the numeral cards are festive and colourful, and have been redrawn to suit modern tastes: for example, the elephant on the 8 of leaves wears colourful attire and his trunk has been lowered; the prancing horse on the 9 of bells is now a rocking horse; cupid on the 10 of hearts has been given a contemporary style. The back design resembles embroidery.

Czech playing cards with German suits, c.1950. Source gallica.bnf.fr Czech playing cards with German suits, c.1950. Source gallica.bnf.fr Czech playing cards with German suits, c.1950. Source gallica.bnf.fr

Above: Bohemian style playing cards printed by Obchodní Tiskárny, c.1950. 32 cards, rounded corners with no indices, colour lithography. Bibliothèque nationale de France.

NOTE The Bibliothèque nationale gives the date as circa 1950. However, a production code 'A 1984 73432' on the back of the seven of acorns which may possibly suggest a date of 1984.

References

Bibliothèque nationale de France: Jeu de cartes tchèque à enseignes allemandes

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By Simon Wintle

Member since February 01, 1996

Founder and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.

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