Portrait de Fribourg

Fribourg (or Freiburg in German) sits on the cultural border between the German- and the French-speaking parts of Switzerland. French-suited cards are more commonly used there than Swiss-suited ones. Indeed, thanks to some local card makers, notably the Burdel family, Fribourg had its own standard pattern. This pattern owes much to cards originating from Lyon in France, with the attractive addition of decorated aces.

The cards shown here have been faithfully reproduced from an original pack of c1835 by Jean-Jacques Burdel, the last of the Burdel dynasty, in the collection of Walter Haas. The originals would have been printed from woodblocks and stencil coloured. The maker’s name appears on the Jack of Spades and the Jack of Clubs, with a tax stamp for the canton of Bern on the Ace of Hearts. The cards have square corners and a modern finish.

This reproduction was printed by Swisscard of Toffen for the Musée Gutenberg in Fribourg (now in the process of relocating to Derendingen). The edition was limited to 550 packs, with the number and date stamped discreetly on the wrapper (itself a reproduction of a wrapper in the collection of the Historical Museum in Bern).

Above: Portrait de Fribourg made by Swisscard, Toffen, for the Musée Gutenberg, Fribourg, Switzerland, 2002. 52 cards + 2 extra cards with text in French and German, in printed brown paper wrapper. Size: 57 x 86 mm.

Further Reference

British Museum: number 1896,0501.582.1-52►