Forrest Cards, c.1750s
Hand-coloured Forrest Cards produced for “Young Gentlemen & Ladys who are Lovers of Ingenuity”, c.1750s.
Small playing cards with a named animal or bird on each card and a dotted frame around the edge. The miniature playing cards in the top left-hand corners feature courts which are crude versions of the early single-ended English pattern. The cards are finely engraved on copper plates but the hand-colouring is lacking in finesse. However, not all the cards have been coloured in this set. It seems likely that there was an appeal to children, although initially they were produced for “Young Gentlemen & Ladys, who are Lovers of Ingenuity” - these packs were advertised as being sold in three toy shops by 1754
Animals have been a favourite theme on playing cards, from medieval Hunting packs, to Aesop’s Fables, to Animal tarots as well as Edwardian Farmyard Snap games.
REFERENCES and CREDITS
Images and notes kindly contributed by John Sings - www.gamesetal.net►
By Ann and John Sings
United Kingdom • Member since December 22, 2021
Articles and contributions by Ann & John Sings.
Activity for Forrest Cards, c.1750s
Sign in to comment or save this article.
Related Articles
Learning to play Cribbage
I learned to pay cribbage when I was very young, aged around six or seven.
Gone to Pot: Gardener’s playing cards
‘Gone to Pot’: special playing cards for keen gardeners, United Kingdom.
The Famous Dinosaurs Playing Cards
54 different dinosaurs, both large and small, illustrated by Cecilia Fitzsimons.
Greenpeace anti-nuclear playing cards
Greenpeace anti-nuclear pack with facts and figures, United Kingdom, 2003.
Animal Aid playing cards
Animal Aid playing cards with anti-shooting cartoons created by Steve Hutton.
Royal Cards Reign of Queen Anne
“Royal Cards Reign of Queen Anne” cover historical events, both honourable and treacherous, during t...
70: Woodblock and stencil : the spade courts
This is a presentation in a more straight forward fashion of the work done by Paul Bostock and me in...
Illustrated Playing Cards, c.1740
Illustrated playing cards featuring comical engravings and rhymes about saints, c.1740.
XVII Century Engraved Animal Cards
Anonymous French-suited German engraved cards c1610 to 1650.
Scouting
Scouting, a card game about boy scouts, appeared in 1955.
Delightful Cards, c.1723
Delightful Cards, containing variety of entertainment for young Ladies and Gentlemen c.1723.
Bubble Cards, 1720
Bubble Cards - known as “All the Bubbles”, c.1720.
Arms of English Peers
The Arms of English Peers playing cards were first published in 1686. Heraldry, or a knowledge of th...
Suicide King
The King of Hearts, holding a sword behind his head, is sometimes nicknamed the “Suicide King”. He c...
William Warter
William Warter's Proverbial Cards, which carry illustrations of old English proverbs, were first pub...
Pope Joan Trays
Some traditional Pope Joan boards comprise a circular tray, others are square, divided into sections...
19: 19th Century Breaks with Tradition - Unusual versions of the Standard English Pattern
The centuries-long tradition of English court cards was subject to misinterpretation and in some cas...
Robert Morden’s Playing Cards
The 52 Counties of England and Wales described as a pack of cards first published in London in 1676....
The History of Playing Cards
Playing cards appear in European records in the late 14th century, but their earlier history lies fu...
History of English Playing Cards & Games
The History of English Playing Cards dates probably from the mid 15th century
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 60 days
