Escalada y Vidiella, Montevideo c.1860
Cards from a 40-card pack made in Belgium by Antoine van Genechten exclusively for the firm "Escalada y Vidiella" based in Montevideo (Uruguay) in c.1860.

Escalada y Vidiella, Montevideo c.1860
A 40-card Spanish-suited pack made in Belgium by Antoine van Genechten exclusively for the firm Escalada y Vidiella based in Montevideo (Uruguay) in c.1860. Sr Vidiella was the founder of the Uruguayan grape growing industry and in 1854 he founded an import-export business in Montevideo. The ace of coins features a Uruguayan coat of arms and the five of coins shows the Argentinean arms, suggesting that the pack was intended for use in both countries. The court cards include representations of Indian people, a Chinese man, an Arab gentleman, possibly the Goddess Diana and various other European persons. Altogether the pack appears to reflect a 19th century fantasy of South American colonisation in the style of other "Four Continent" packs of the era.

Above: cards from a 40-card pack made in Belgium by Antoine van Genechten exclusively for the firm Escalada y Vidiella based in Montevideo (Uruguay) in c.1860. The cards once belonged to the Argentinean Infantry Captain Carmen Bustamente who was killed in the Paraguayan War (1864-1870). They are now part of the collection of the Complejo Museográfico Enrique Udaondo (Luján). Background information kindly provided by Juan Carlos Recarey.

By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
I am the founder of The World of Playing Cards (est. 1996), a website dedicated to the history, artistry and cultural significance of playing cards and tarot. Over the years I have researched various areas of the subject, acquired and traded collections and contributed as a committee member of the IPCS and graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal. Having lived in Chile, England, Wales, and now Spain, these experiences have shaped my work and passion for playing cards. Amongst my achievements is producing a limited-edition replica of a 17th-century English pack using woodblocks and stencils—a labour of love. Today, the World of Playing Cards is a global collaborative project, with my son Adam serving as the technical driving force behind its development. His innovative efforts have helped shape the site into the thriving hub it is today. You are warmly invited to become a contributor and share your enthusiasm.
Related Articles

Aónikenk playing cards
Ethnographic playing cards made by members of the Aónikenk culture from Patagonia.

Ogdens Beauties & Military cigarette cards
Cigarette cards featuring beauties and military uniforms with playing-card insets.

Boddingtons Bitter playing cards
Cool-looking courts advertising Boddingtons Bitter, originally brewed in Manchester.

AKA M5 Motorway
Promotional playing cards for the Hungarian M5 Toll Motorway between Budapest and Röszk.

Pathé Marconi
Special promotion pack for French record company Pathé Marconi.

ViVa Bourg
A distinctive deck of cards for a specific promotion.

Dancing
“Dancing” playing cards manufactured by Nintendo for Torii Dance School, Osaka.

Agent Provocateur
Branded lingerie collection in a pack of pin-up playing cards.

Shin-Tōmei Expressway Opening Commemoration
Promotional playing cards for the Shin-Tōmei Expressway, a major Japanese expressway that opened in ...

Copechat Paramount Sorting System
Preserving the past: a specimen deck showcasing edge-notched cards and their ingenious sorting syste...

Heartsette by Herbert Fitch & Co, 1893
A glimpse into a busy print and design office in late Victorian London.

Intersigma
A Czech advertising deck for a company dealing with pump technology.

An Anonymous Belgian Transformation Pack
Anonymous Belgian transformation pack borrowing many images from earlier designs by Braun & Schneide...

IG Chemie Papier Keramik
Promotional pack designed by Karl-Heinz Schroers for a German trade union with comical bears on the ...

More Menthol Filter Cigarettes
Elongated cards with designs by Wong Yui Man advertising More cigarettes.

Jockey Club de Buenos Aires
Spanish-suited pack by Chas Goodall & Son Ltd for the Jockey Club, Buenos Aires.
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 28 days