Articles about: “history”

1: Playing Cards and their History: An Introduction and some links to other sites

What was considered the first mention of playing cards in England is in 1463 when Edward IV banned their importation, so they must have been popular by then.

16th century cards discovered in Peru

Fragments of playing cards and 2 dice were unearthed in a 16th century rubbish tip adjacent to a Spanish house in the lower Rimac Valley in Peru, providing evidence of games played by early Spanish settlers.

61: French regional patterns: the kings

On page 11 I illustrated several examples of the regional French patterns from Sylvia Mann's collection; this is a more in-depth look at the figures of these patterns ("portraits" in French).

65: Adverts and related documents 1684-1877

Here are a few early advertisements relating to cards from newspapers 1684-1759 and a number of later 19th century documents of interest.

Anonymous Spanish Suited pack, c.1760

Anonymous archaic Spanish Suited pack, c.1760

Carel de Wagenaer

Facsimile edition of cards first published by Carel de Wagenaer, Amsterdam in c.1698

Cotta Transformation playing cards

In 1804, J.C. Cotta, a publisher and bookseller in Tübingen, Germany, produced the first set of transformation cards that was published as an actual deck of playing cards.

Cribbage Board Collection part 2

A collection of antique and vintage Cribbage Boards by Tony Hall, part 2

Early references

Out of an apparent void, a constellation of references in early literature emerge pointing to the sudden arrival of playing cards, principally in Belgium, Germany, Spain and Italy around 1370-1380.

Fake Blanchard Ace of Spades

Fake Blanchard Ace of Spades with court cards based on Hall

Hans Sebald Beham

Playing cards designed by Hans Sebald Beham (1500–1550).

Hidden meanings in painting by Jheronimus Bosch

Medieval View of Gambling in the ‘Garden of Earthly Delights’ by Jheronimus Bosch

Historical Characters

“Historical Characters” playing cards printed by Waddington’s for Thermawear Ltd, 1994

History of Blackjack

Over the years the origin of Blackjack, like many other games, has eluded researchers for a long time and which continues to be hotly debated to this day.

History of Court Cards

The court cards in English packs of playing cards derive from models produced by Pierre Marechal in Rouen around 1565. A pack of such cards is preserved in the museum at Rouen.

History of English Playing Cards & Games

The History of English Playing Cards dates probably from the mid 15th century

History of Online Casinos

Online casinos appeared shortly after the internet became a more mainstream tool for the public to use

History of Playing Cards

Playing Cards have been around in Europe since the 1370s. Some early packs were hand painted works of art which were expensive and affordable only by the wealthy. But as demand increased cheaper methods of production were discovered so that playing cards became available for everyone...

History of Playing Cards - 1

A cluster of early literary references refer to the game being introduced by 'a Saracen', 'the Moorish Game' etc.

History of Playing Cards - 10

By about 1500 three main suit systems had evolved: Latin (including Italian, Spanish and Portuguese); Germanic (German and Swiss) and French (which has become the 'Anglo-American' suit system).

History of Playing Cards - 2

The Gothic age, from the 13th - 15th centuries, saw fundamental economic and religious changes. The centre of gravity shifted from the land to the towns. A new form of economy evolved, based on production for sale and exchange, in which merchants and craftsmen played increasingly important roles.

History of Playing Cards - 3

Prohibitions of card playing and denunciations by preachers demonstrate their widespread use for gambling. It was a pastime that attracted card sharps, gamblers, cheats, swashbucklers and rogues... living by their wits. The emotional outbursts and bad behaviour upon losing were seen as immoral.

History of Playing Cards - 4

The format of the pack - suit symbols, numeral cards, court hierarchy - has served many secondary purposes beyond a gaming device.

History of Playing Cards - 5

The first European references to playing cards date from the 1370s.

History of Playing Cards - 6

The idea of suit symbols may have originated with Chinese 'Money' cards.

History of Playing Cards - 7

Luxury hand-painted packs were only available to a few, who enjoyed them privately or with select company. The printed or mechanically-produced versions, cruder in design and execution, were viewed simultaneously by larger audiences but were prone to deteriorate more rapidly.

History of Playing Cards - 8

Imagery on many early playing cards resembles the stock repertory of animals, plants, birds and flowers which recurs almost identically in the marginal drollery, miniature illustrations and trompe l'oeil of widely divergent manuscripts, and in sculpture.

History of Playing Cards - 9

With the onset of the Renaissance in Italy, the new spirit of Humanism was spreading through Europe bringing a change of form and direction. The design of playing cards reflected these changes, in their style and thematic content.

I. Schenck, Nuremberg

I. Schenck, Nuremberg, late XVIIIth century

Iohann Christoph Hes Tarot c.1750

Facsimile of Tarot de Marseille by Iohann Christoph Hes, Augsburg, c.1750.

Irish Heroic

The costumes and details of this pack are in the spirit of "The Heroic Period of Irish History".

Italian Playing Cards

The first reliable evidence that playing cards were being used in Italy is from 1376, when a game called 'naibbe' is forbidden in a decree, with the implication that the game had only recently been introduced there.

John Llewellyn, playing card manufacturer, London, 1778-1785

Master of the Banderoles

Playing Cards by the Master of the Banderoles, one of the earliest professional printmakers, c.1470

Master of the Playing Cards

Animal suited playing cards engraved by the Master of the Playing Cards, Germany, c.1455

Naipes Artiguistas, 1816

Naipes Artiguistas published in Concepción del Uruguay, Entre Rios province (Argentina) in 1816, by Fray Solano García.

Origins

Rick Davidson's “Origins” playing cards is an inspired, present-day re-design of the standard Anglo-American deck

Perspectives on Tarot

Tarot, originally a 15th century card game, has evolved into a form of personal mysticism and spirituality.

Pierre Marechal

After the development of printing at the end of the 15th century, Rouen became an important centre for card-making whose influence extended far afield. Cards from Rouen are significant because they became the model from which our English pack subsequently evolved.