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Playing cards have been with us since the 14th century, when they first entered popular culture. Over the centuries packs of cards, in all shapes and sizes, have been used for games, gambling, education, conjuring, advertising, fortune telling, political messages or the portrayal of national or ethnic identity. All over the world, whatever language is spoken, their significance is universal. Their popularity is also due to the imaginative artwork and graphic design which is sometimes overlooked, and the “then & now” of how things have changed.

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stage

7 Articles

Parisian Actors and Opera Singers

Extraordinary ‘Actors and Opera Singers’ deck printed by Avril et Cie, Paris, c.1865

Parisian Actors and Opera Singers

Stage

‘Stage’ card game © 1904 C. M. Clark Publishing Co. Boston, Mass. with portraits of popular actors and actresses.

Stage

Panto

Panto card game designed by Neville Main and published by Pepys Games, 1956.

Panto

Tales from the Stage

"Tales from the Stage" - an article about theatrical playing cards by Rod Starling

Tales from the Stage

Stage Playing Cards, 1908

This beautiful deck features an oval half-tone photo of a theatre star on each card, many of them legendary names, along with their autograph beneath. The border artwork consists of a different coloured floral pattern for each suit. The back has a decorative panel with theatre masks.

Stage Playing Cards, 1908

The Stage No.65

The court cards and Aces each feature four portraits of famous theatre stars from the 1890s inside round frames, against a background pattern based on traditional court cards.

The Stage No.65

Craddock Soap Stage Souvenir

The deck is described on the box as “a portfolio of photographs of the leading lights of the stage”

Craddock Soap Stage Souvenir