Noord Braband “Historical Playing Cards”

This set of “Historical Playing Cards” with an accompanying booklet was originally commissioned by Northern Brabant Insurance Society, Waalwijk, and manufactured by Speelkaartenfabriek Nederland in 1943. However, the company declined to pay for the order and the cards were sold off with the Noord Braband insurance company logo overprinted. The artwork was by Jan Wijga and depicts important people and landmarks in the history of the province of North Brabant. It was reprinted again by Speelkaartenfabriek Nederland in 1952, this time without borders around the designs, as shown here.

Above: “Historical Playing Cards” originally commissioned by Northern Brabant Insurance Society on the occasion of their 100th anniversary and manufactured by Speelkaartenfabriek Nederland in 1943, but reprinted here in 1952. 52 cards + Joker + bridge score card in a shiny laminated box with accompanying booklet titled “People and monuments in the history of North Brabant” which includes half pictures in full colour of all the court cards with a description. Pieter Bruegel is depicted as the Jolly Joker and is described as a “painter of cheerful scenes from the life of the people of Brabant”. Images courtesy Rex Pitts.

REFERENCES

Webmagazine Cultureel Brabant: Een oud-Brabants Historisch Kaartspel→

WWPCM website: deck "Noord Braband", 1943→

Thanks to Joop Muller for clarification of the publication details.   See also: www.speelkaartenmuseum.nl/→