Finnish Chromolithographic Playing Cards

Rather than displaying a distinctive Finnish national style, these cards adopt the standard double-ended French pattern of the period, reimagined in romantic Renaissance and medieval costume. They feature richly coloured chromolithographic printing, with decorative costume details, which was characteristic of Weilin & Göös of Helsinki. The Jacks carry halberds but wear soft caps rather than military dress. The Queens have elaborately decorated, fur-trimmed mantles and bodices, and the Kings hold orbs and scepters, wearing huge beards and storybook crowns. The result is a refined but essentially international design intended for the Finnish domestic market.

The stamp on the ace which reads "KRONO KORT STÄMPEL" was used in Finland around 1890, but the text is Swedish ("krono" = crown, "stämpel" = stamp/duty mark). The wrapper is bilingual in Finnish and Swedish and carries the WG monogram identifying the printer as Weilin & Göös of Helsinki. Although Finland had been part of the Russian Empire since 1809, Swedish remained an official language of administration, and revenue stamps continued to use Swedish terminology. The Swedish wording therefore reflects Finland's bilingual administrative heritage rather than Swedish manufacture.