Epokha vozrozhdeniya (Age of Enlightenment)

This pack was designed by Adolf Iosifovich Charlemagne (1826-1901) but it is essentially a remake of the cards which were still used by the Russian card factories to produce the most mass-marketed cards in the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century (see here). The pack has also come to be known as “Atlas” (a name assigned to the cards with Charlemagne’s design). These playing cards were and are still the most popular ones throughout Russia, and have become de facto the standard Russian pack.

The name “Atlas” itself didn’t refer to any sketches or a particular card style, but to the technology of manufacturing. To make cards look better the paper they were printed on was firstly rubbed with talc powder with the help of special talc machines. Made on this type of paper, these cards were not affected by water, slid freely while shuffled, but were more expensive.

Above: cards with square corners and no indices designed by Adolf Iosifovich Charlemagne (1826-1901) and produced c.1862-1875 under the name "Epokha vozrozhdeniya". This would have been a high-quality pack (sort 1) with the tax stamp on the ace of diamonds. Often subsequently reproduced under the Soviets under the title "Atlassnye". Image courtesy Jon Randall.

Above & below: cards from later Russian standard packs including the joker, with rounded corners and indices