Costume Playing Cards

As stated on the extra card in one of the packs, the “Costume Court, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, contains fine examples of European fashionable dress, ornate Turkish and Persian costume and European Peasant costume dating back to the 16th century”. That said, of the 53 different costumes in this pack, the vast majority are English or French. Each is named and dated beneath the image.

Unfortunately, the overall look is rather wishy-washy, perhaps because almost exclusively pale backgrounds have been used or perhaps because most of the models/dummies have white features when many of the costumes are also quite pale. On the reverse, the V&A logo appears against either a pink or a blue background. The cards themselves are not well cut. See the box

Above: Costume Playing Cards made by Berliner Spielkarten GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany, for the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK, 1991. 2 x 52 cards + 2 (identical) Jokers + 1 extra card (different in each pack) in drop-lid box. Size: 57 x 89 mm.

Illustrations and text © Board of Trustees, Victoria and Albert Museum

Reference

Petri, Dr. Thomas. Braun Band 13: Die Berliner Spielkarten GmbH; 2002. p.81, BS 1991/2.