Zürcher Festspiel 1903
Swiss-suited pack designed by Robert Hardmeyer featuring figures from art and politics.
Robert Hardmeyer (1876-1919) was a Swiss graphic artist best known for his poster designs. In this pack there is a bold use of four colours – red, blue, green and yellow – with one of these colours being predominant in each suit. Those colours also make up the patchwork cloaks and dresses of the courts whose black-and-white faces are the likenesses of real people from the worlds of art and politics. Of note, all the courts on the suit of flowers (roses) are female. The bell suit-signs have been given comical faces on all but the courts. The arms of the canton of Zürich have been used throughout the suit of shields. On each daus there is a two-line rhyme. The artist’s initials or full name also appear on each daus. The back design is made up of a pattern of four-leaved clover. The same pattern appears all over the box►
Above: Zürcher Festspiel playing cards made by Gebrüder Fretz, Zürich, Switzerland, 1903. Published by Verlag des Lesezirkels Hottingen, Zürich. 36 cards in clamshell box. Size: 54 x 85 mm.
Reference
Schweizer Spielkarten catalogue, 1978. Page 228, no. 175.
By Roddy Somerville
France • Member since May 31, 2022
Roddy started collecting stamps on his 8th birthday. In 1977 he joined the newly formed playing-card department at Stanley Gibbons in London before setting up his own business in Edinburgh four years later. His collecting interests include playing cards, postcards, stamps (especially playing cards on stamps) and sugar wrappers. He is a Past President of the Scottish Philatelic Society, a former Chairman of the IPCS, a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards and Curator of the WCMPC’s collection of playing cards. He lives near Toulouse in France.
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