Jeu Révolutionnaire

The political motivation behind the French Revolutionary playing cards was to break with the past regime and promote the ideals of the new republic: liberty, equality, and fraternity. The court cards were re-designed as a form of propaganda to show that henceforth society would be governed by natural laws and not by the whims of a monarchical hierarchy and aristocracy. In this pack, the four kings are replaced by elements and classical deities, queens by the seasons and classical deities, the jacks by gardeners or farmers and the aces show floral wreaths. An inscription "Pinau, to the Father" can be discerned on the jack of spades, who is depicted as a gardener with a watering can and spade. This type of Revolutionary deck is sometimes called "ESC" for Elements, Seasons, and Farmers (Cultivateurs) as opposed to other formats such as SVB III►

The cards have no corner indices and the backs were plain. In this instance they were re-used for a secondary purpose as hand-written library reference cards.

Above: 12 court cards and 3 aces from a French Revolutionary pack by Pinaut, Paris, c.1794. Stencil coloured woodcuts; 8.2 x 5.4 cm. Source gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France

Footnote

The Guillotine, adopted by the French government in 1792, became prominent during the French Revolution for public executions. Intended to be a deterrent, it ultimately became a symbol of revolutionary fervour and repression, especially as revolutionary leaders began executing each other. The guillotine remained France's standard method of execution for nearly 190 years, until it was abolished in 1981.

References

Bibliothèque nationale de France : Cartes de tête et d'as d'un jeu révolutionnaire►

Drawing Matter : Dugourc’s Playing Cards►