Rectangular, according to the most common version in the 21st centurye century, but sometimes also round or square, playing cards have marked the family reunions of Quebecers, as well as court life in China and India throughout the centuries. Formerly reserved for aristocrats and wealthy merchants, they became democratized with the progress of printing and industrialization, which slowly but surely laid the foundations of the “leisure society”. This is what we learn from a charming little exhibition from the specialized collections and rare books of McGill University.
The pack of 52 paper cards, with kings, queens and jacks, among others, is the one most widespread in Europe and North America. But it is only one version among many others! The signs of hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades, of French origin, ended up establishing themselves in England – and almost everywhere thereafter. But we find in other European countries different signs, such as swords, bells, acorns and shields. Playing cards feature symbol-filled illustrations, often reminiscent of the hierarchy of the societies that made them.
The exhibition Who is feeling lucky ? Games for all tastes was put together by Jacquelyn Sundberg, Rare and Special Collections Librarian at McGill University Libraries. She shows us many more examples of playing cards, which illustrate a rich history in design, art and typography. We find, nestled in the windows, rare board games from various eras, because the collections of the McGill libraries go beyond books and contain many period objects, such as puppets, she said. added.
Of all shapes and colors
To illustrate the diversity of playing cards, the librarian shows “very colorful” circular cards, made by hand around 1920 in India – but whose technique is several centuries old – from the McGill collection. The manufacturing process is complex: the cards are made of layers of fabric, covered with a thin layer of clay; they are then painted by hand and finally coated with a resinous layer made of tamarind seeds which makes them resistant. All different, they represent animals (representations of the Hindu god Vishnu) and symbols, explains Mme Sundberg in interview.
“It’s very different. It is not comparable to the cards we know today. »
The oldest in the collection, from China and Japan, are hand-engraved on ivory tiles — likely closest to early card games, she says.
Because playing cards were already found in China in the 9the century, under the Tang dynasty. Easier to transport than other types of games, they spread westward along trade routes, conquering Persia and Egypt before arriving in Europe in the 13th century.e century, adopting along the way new regulations, new styles and new uses, we learn in the exhibition. Many games, still popular today, are played according to rules that we find written in documents dating from the 18th century.e and the 19th centurye century.
Some playing cards are real works of art, says the curator of the exhibition. They are also sometimes used to represent different local traditions and national costumes, and are sometimes sold as travel souvenirs, like this series featuring black and white photographs of Montreal. Packages were even sold with small leather travel boxes.
The golden age of playing cards
Playing cards became more common in cottages in the first half of the 19th centurye century, with industrialization, which brought with it the expansion of the middle class, which “had more time, leisure and money”. Previously, who could afford to spend hours handling small pieces of cardboard? As technology has made remarkable advances and made their production more affordable, the demand for these playing cards has increased exponentially. “Before, they were made by hand and were very expensive. With advances in the field of printing, it has become accessible to many more people. »
Thus, many cards were manufactured in factories during the era of Queen Victoria, in England as in the United States. In the collection, we can also observe a magnificent set of cards illustrated with colorful images of fairy tales, such as Cinderella and Puss in Boots, made in New York around 1890.
Before, they were made by hand and were very expensive. With advances in the field of printing, it has become accessible to many more people.
And since board games and cards were excellent showcases for innovations in printing and manufacturing, they also served as advertisements of sorts. Several packs of cards bore the name of the printer and sometimes even the list of other printed products he was marketing, explains M.me Sundberg. “An effective marketing technique. » The McLoughlin Brothers company, in the United States, carved out a solid reputation in the industry in the 19the century with its children’s books featuring color illustrations and numerous board games, says Mme Sundberg. “It’s really an industry that has exploded,” she adds.
Learn while playing
The cards were not only used for entertainment: some also had an educational role. “They were also used to transmit a certain morality,” says M.me Sundberg.
In the collection, we can see a deck of cards on the life of Marguerite Bourgeois. Pale blue, printed on matte cardboard, without drawings or flourishes, it is “one of the least beautiful games in the collection. It’s really boring.” With its 60 question-and-answer cards on the life of this woman who founded a religious congregation in New France and schools, we learn a lot about her life, but probably without really having fun, she lets go.
Lots of efforts and laws, especially in England in the 19the century, were made to make games of chance and gambling illegal, “in the same way as prostitution and dueling”. So, educational games were created, which really sought to distance themselves from these hated games, especially those which were played with dice, she argues.
Quebecers’ family celebrations were often accompanied by lively card games, very late at night. “They have the ability to unite people or divide them by being a huge source of discussions about periods,” says Mme Sundberg. Not everyone agrees on how to play: “that’s why I included in the exhibition some historical books – very thick – on the rules of games like bridge and whist. »