Some examples of playing cards made in Catalonia from the collection of Iris Mundus, Barcelona.
Hijos de José Garcia Taboadela was a book-seller who also published this charming pack of lovers' fortune telling cards in 1871.
Buena Suerte Cartomancy cards published by Difusora S.A., Argentina, c.1975
Buena Suerte Cartomancy leaflet
Carreras Fortune Telling Cards, 1926
The designs of these fortune-telling cards are largely taken from nineteenth century Austrian "Rural Scenes" Tarock cards.
“Cartes Lenormand” published by H. P. Gibson & Sons Ltd, London, printed in Germany by B. Dondorf, 1920s.
Playing cards are used for fortune-telling, predicting the future or even as a psychological adjunct to folk medicine and therapy.
“El Oráculo de la Bruja” fortune-telling cards, 2003.
Fortune Telling Cards - wondrous scientific divination poker cards
Fortune Telling Deck by Industrie Comptoir, Leipzig c.1818.
English Fortune Telling cards probably published c.1770.
These Fortune-Telling cards, first published as early as 1690, were possibly the first pack of cards ever made specifically for the purpose of fortune-telling.
“Gipsy” fortune-telling cards with original artwork by Hylton Cock, published by Thomas de la Rue & Co Ltd., c.1910.
“Le Grand Tarot Belline” after drawings by Edmond Billaudot (1829-1881)
Mlle Lenormand Cartomancy deck made by Vereinigte Stralsunder Spielkartenfabriken, Stralsund, c.1890
Livre du Destin or Book of Fate, printed by B.P.Grimaud, Paris, c.1900. During the the nineteenth century various types of fortune-telling, oracle, Lenormand, sybil and destiny cards became popular.
Livre du Destin / The Book of Fate, c.1900, entire deck (32 cards)
Madame Lenormand Fortune Telling Cards made by J. Müller.
“Naipes Tu Destino” Cartomancy Cards from Peru will ease any stress in your interpersonal relationships c.1975
Cartomancy and modern esoteric tarot packs have been conjured in a wide variety of conceptions. They involve use of imagination and intuition to assess one’s own thoughts and feelings from the view point of the symbolic images.
Zodiac Celebrities fortune-telling cards presented with 'Picture Show' magazine, 1930. The cards were printed in black and red and supplied as uncut sheets inserted into the magazine.
Cartomantic meanings of Spanish playing cards by Benita the Witch (XVI century), published by Chocolates Nelia, c.1932.
Whilst the titles of the cards are in Italian, the Hebrew and Sanskrit letters on the Trump cards denote, respectively, associations with the Cabbala and Vedic metaphysics.
The ‘Mystic’ Fortune Teller card game by Clifford Toys
The 72 Names Cards based on the Kabbalistic "72 Names of God" and the metaphysical artwork of Orna Ben-Shoshan, Raanana, Israel.
In this version an explanatory verse is printed at the top of each card.
