UNIT 1.2 HISTORY OF CARD GAMES FIRST PLAYING CARDS

• The earliest playing cards are believed to have originated in Central Asia. • In the 10th century, the Chinese used paper-like dominoes, shuffling and dealing them in new games. MAMLUK, EGYPT PLAYING CARDS

The early history of cards in Western Europe was related to the invasion of North Africa, Spain and Sicily by Islamic forces during the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt which ended in 1517.

From a XV or early XVI century Mamluk pack, hand-drawn and hand-painted, probably belonging to a wealthy or illustrious owner. INTRODUCTION OF CARDS INTO EUROPE

• Islamic cards were introduced into southern Europe about 1350.

• The suit signs were variously adapted— • Coins, • Cups, • Swords, • Sticks— • were variously adapted.

"Moorish" card, 14th century (?) (Instituto Municipal de Historia, Barcelona) FIRST EUROPEAN PLAYING CARDS

• The first European playing cards date from 1370 and come from Spain, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. • No cards from this time period survive. • The earliest surviving cards come from around the 15th century - cards were hand-painted and only afforded by the wealthy. • With the invention of woodcuts in the 14th century, Europeans began mass-producing cards. FIRST EUROPEAN PLAYING CARDS

• By 1500, three main suit systems had evolved.

• These three suit systems became the basis of standard national patterns.

The Ambras Court Hunting Pack (1445) EVOLUTION OF GERMAN CARDS

•Among the early card makers of the Germans were the most imaginative in revising and multiplying suit signs and courts.

•German cards also tended to be decorated with lively scenes and caricatures.

•The German national pattern finally settled on four suits (Leaves, Hearts, Acorns and Hawk Bells) from which the Queen was banished.

German deck, Nüremberg, 1813 EVOLUTION OF TAROCCO

• The Italians also added a wild card (the Fool)

• Among the Florentines, the trump suit expanded until their Tarocco totaled 97 cards.

• The game spread northwards, called Tarot by speakers of French.

• The Tarot did not acquire its modern use by fortune tellers until the 1780s

Divinatory Tarot cards by Etteilla, Paris, 1789 FRENCH PLAYING CARDS

• It was the French who were instrumental in bringing the pleasures of card play to people in Europe and the New World.

• French cards soon flooded the market and were exported to England first, and then in the British Colonies of America. EVOLUTION OF CARDS - FRENCH

• French card makers, c. 1470, invented the familiar suit signs of Spades, Hearts, Clubs and Diamonds

• Popular demand led to mass production through the new technique of the woodcut.

• Designs for whole sheets of cards were drawn and carved on woodblocks, then inked and printed on paper, finally separated and glued on cardboard. CARD INDICES

After 1860, Europeans and Americans came to accept card indices, markings on the faces that declared their values. Early indices included:

•Triplicates, when the standard card face bears miniature faces in two corners

•Border indices, when numerals and suit signs line the edges of the card

•Numerals inscribed within the suit signs • Large numerals dominating the card face

The most popular indices proved to be the small markings in diagonally opposite corners, or, less frequently, in all four corners. HISTORY OF MODERN SUIT SYSTEM

• Our modern suits are from French designs that designed a four-suit system. • These suits of spades, clubs, diamonds and hearts, and the use of simple shapes and flat colors helped facilitate manufacture.

• The king of hearts represented Charlemagne, the king of Diamonds was Julius Caesar, the king of clubs was Alexander the Great, and the king of spades was King David from the Bible. EARLY FRENCH SUITS

Rank/ Hearts Spades Diamonds Clubs Suite King CHARLES DAVID CAESAR ALEXANDER Queen JUDITH PALLAS RACHEL ARGINE

Jack LA HIRE OGIER HECTOR JUDAH

Paris pattern, double-ended, 1806 SUITS AND PATTERNS – SWISS FRENCH HISTORY OF THE SAXONY PATTERN SUITS AND PATTERNS - ITALIAN SUITS AND PATTERNS – SPANISH AMERICAN PLAYING CARDS

• Americans started producing playing cards around 1800. • The cards had several improvements: 1. Double-headed court cards - no upside down cards 2. Varnished surfaces for durability and smoothness in shuffling. 3. Identifying marks on the borders or corners 4. Rounded corners for extended life IMPROVEMENTS TO PLAYING CARDS

• Rounded corners • Refined finishes • Double-ended figures

Double-headed courts by Russell & Morgan, Cincinnati, 1885 THE JOKER

The Joker seems to have its origins in a special card used in a particular form of Euchre. In this game, which began in Alsace-Lorraine, two Jacks of the same color are designated as being especially powerful.

When immigrants carried the game to the US, they also brought some of the specialized German terms, such as Bauer (= Jack).

Euchre players still speak of their two highest cards as "the left and the right Bauer," but the key word is envisioned as "Bower".

Joker by Victor Mauger, New York, 1875 Americans added to the Euchre deck a card even higher than the designated Bowers. It was called the Imperial Bower or the Best Bower. This was the genesis of the Joker. EVOLUTION OF THE JOKER

• After the introductions of the Best Bower into Euchre, Americans equipped card games with an extra card (usually as a wild card). Later it became known as the Joker—meaning one that changes character or pops up unexpectedly.

• The use of a jester is logical, not only because of his unpredictable behavior, but because he complements the court cards.

• The Joker is one of America's most picturesque contributions to the history of playing cards.

Joker by Andrew Dougherty, New York, 1875 THE JOKER

• The Joker originated around 1870 • The Joker was known as the "Best Bower" • The Joker was the highest card in the game of Euchre. THE JOKER

The most common representation of the joker is a “Fool”. THE JOKER

The stick can be often seen on Joker cards. THE JOKER

Sometimes the Joker plays a musical instrument. THE JOKER

Sometimes the Joker plays a musical instrument. THE JOKER

The Joker is sometimes seen as a female. THE JOKER

The Jokers especially in non-standard games can have a special design that has only little if any resemblance with the fool. OTHER USES OF CARDS

• Besides playing games, cards were also used for: – Advertise products and services – Promote ideas – Depict famous landmarks – Depict famous events – Depict famous people DEPICT FAMOUS PEOPLE

US-Elections 1963. John F. Kennedy and other persons of the Kennedy-Clan, also politicians from the democratic party. ADVERTISE PRODUCTS

Left: Original Pattern slightly modified, king holds beer glass in hand;

Right: Pattern newly designed, but nevertheless you can see the Bavarian Pattern shimmering through. ADVERTISE PRODUCTS

Two examples for advertising in free spaces on the card picture

Left: Tobacco ad from the 1930s

Right: Ad for the newspaper "Der neue Landfreund" ca. 1980 NON-STANDARD CARDS

In this game not only the court cards were redesigned, also the suit symbols were changed.

Theme is the "Honey Barrel" a fairy tale by Lew Ustinow; advertisement for the theatre Altenburg-Gera. NON-STANDARD CARDS

Here the courts are only stylized. These cards were drawn by the artist Sonia Delaunay. NON-STANDARD CARDS

This card game represents the four elements. But they do not appear as the four suits; they are ranks (king = earth, queen = water, jack = air and Joker = fire). NON-STANDARD CARDS

The Michelin-Man as playing card court. SOUVENIR CARDS

Left Example: View of the Canary Islands; right: model trains THE END