Litografías Industrias Madriguera

Published August 24, 2013 Updated December 19, 2024

Pictorial trade cards were becoming popular throughout Europe so that tea, tobacco, chocolate or even beef extract were the commodities most associated with beautifully lithographed insert cards.

1896 SpainChildrenChocolateFreebie-cardsTrade-cardsTransformationLitografía Madriguera

Litografías Industrias Madriguera, Barcelona, c.1896

Sets of playing cards or domino cards aimed at children became a new trend in Catalonia and Valencia during the 1870s designed to carry advertising slogans by chocolate companies on the fronts and/or reverse. Pictorial trade cards were becoming popular throughout Europe so that tea, tobacco, chocolate or even beef extract were the commodities most associated with beautifully lithographed and collectible insert cards. The quality and imagination of the designs reflects the cultural exuberance of those past times.

In this example, by Litografías Industrias Madriguera of Barcelona, suits were designed as skittles, balls, swords and sundae dishes around which groups of children are balancing or climbing. Ribbons or blank panels on the reverse incorporated references to the chocolate products (which in this edition have been removed).

Litografías Industrias Madriguera, Barcelona, c.1896 Litografías Industrias Madriguera, Barcelona, c.1896 Litografías Industrias Madriguera, Barcelona, c.1896 Litografías Industrias Madriguera, Barcelona, c.1896 Litografías Industrias Madriguera, Barcelona, c.1896

Above: cards from facsimile edition by El Sendero of 40 card version of a design originally published in c.1896 and re-issued in 1930s by Litografías Industrias Madriguera, Barcelona. 97x61mm.

See also: Naipes de "Don Quijote" by E. Pastor at Biblioteca Nacional de España Juego de Naipes Comicos


REFERENCES:

Denning, Trevor: The Playing-Cards of Spain, Cygnus Arts, London, 1996

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By Simon Wintle

Spain • Member since February 01, 1996

I am the founder of The World of Playing Cards (est. 1996), a website dedicated to the history, artistry and cultural significance of playing cards and tarot. Over the years I have researched various areas of the subject, acquired and traded collections and contributed as a committee member of the IPCS and graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal. Having lived in Chile, England, Wales, and now Spain, these experiences have shaped my work and passion for playing cards. Amongst my achievements is producing a limited-edition replica of a 17th-century English pack using woodblocks and stencils—a labour of love. Today, the World of Playing Cards is a global collaborative project, with my son Adam serving as the technical driving force behind its development. His innovative efforts have helped shape the site into the thriving hub it is today. You are warmly invited to become a contributor and share your enthusiasm.

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