Multum in Parvo Co., Ltd

Multum in Parvo Company of 7 Water Lane, Ludgate Hill, London, was founded by descendents of Mullord Brothers in 1884. The company published a range of indoor games until 1927, which were supplied wholesale. However, they were not all card games:

Animal Quorum, Auction Game, Birds, Beasts and Fishes, The Bogie Man, The Castle, Chameleon, Consil, The Dockyard or Ship Building at Home, Fairy Tales, Four Flags, Grand Prize, Happy Golliwog, Invasion, Judge & Jury, Koker-Nut Shy, Lifeboats, Merry Families, Money Matters, Music, Musical Dominoes, Nap, Newmarket, Nuhome, Our Fleet, The Poets’ Conversation Cards, Rabbits!, The Rescue, The Roaring Lion, Shop, Shute, Simple Games for Simple Folk, Snap, The Soccer Game, Speculation, Stock Exchange, Tennis, Tommy's Wedding, Touring, Turnover, The Walk to Brighton, Who Buys?, Word Making & Word Taking.

Most games sold for between 6d and one shilling, but miniature packs of playing cards, one penny.

Several of the card games shown below contain the same images, repurposed to fit a different game format, particularly the Merry Families and Snap characters. For example, the same animal caricatures are seen in “Birds, Beasts and Fishes”, “Consil” and “The Improved Game of Snap”.

Birds, Beasts and Fishes

Above: the Game of Birds, Beasts and Fishes, from 1884,   more →

Consil

Above: “Consil” published by Multum in Parvo Ltd, c.1900,   more →

Some of the pictures in the above games were also used in The Improved Game of Snap►

Merry Families

At least two different versions of Happy Families are known, one featuring tradespeople, the other occupations, or professions.

Above: Merry Families (Trades), from 1884,   more →.

Above: Merry Families (Occupations), c.1890.   more →.

Snap

Above: Snap, c.1890.   more →.

Fairy Tales

Above: the Game of Fairy Tales, c.1884   more →

Nap, or the Game of Proverbs

Above: Nap, or the Game of Proverbs, c.1900   more →

Four Flags

Above: the Game of Four Flags, 1884,   more →

Who Buys?

Above: Who Buys?, c.1890.   more →.

Auction Game

Above: Auction Game, c.1890.   more →.

CREDITS

All images courtesy Rex Pitts. Thanks to Neil Darbyshire for additional research.