A chronicle of nineteenth century Nuremberg skyline

The Maker

Probably first published by Johann Conrad Jegel (1791-1837), for a description of whom, see item 67.

The Cards

The technological developments of the nineteenth century saw the industrial city of Nuremberg grow to become one of Germany’s most prosperous cities, and these cards, made during this period, celebrate its architecture and monuments. Each Ace card displays two of Nuremberg’s impressive buildings, including:

Clubs – Alt Nürnberg Kirche

Diamonds – Keizerburcht

Hearts – Sebalduskirche

Spades – Delsenbach bridge over the river Pegnitz

The court cards, painted in bold colours, are in the double-figure format that had become prominent during the early nineteenth century. The suit marks appear in the upper left- and lower right-hand corner on the court cards, and in the centre of the Aces.

BENEDICT, J. [Landmarks of Prussia playing cards].

Publication [Goslar, Friedrich Adolf Lattmann, c1865].

Description

52 engraved playing cards with fine original hand colour, stamp to one, red line and dot pattern to versos.

Dimensions 91 by 61mm (3.5 by 2.5 inches).

References

Van den Bergh pp.104-105, Yale 2808/ GER405.

Top trumps of Prussia

The Maker

The name of the designer of the present deck, J. Benedict, appears (though hardly noticeable) on the sceptre held by the Jack of Spades. Benedict was a well-known card designer from Vienna whose work was generally published by Friedrich Adolf Lattmann, whose name appears more visibly on the Jack of Clubs.

In 1794, Ernst Wilhelm Gottlieb Kircher had transformed his family printing business into a playing card factory. Political upheaval in the following decades meant that the factory was closed, but after its reopening some years later, it was taken over by Friedrich Adolf Lattmann, under whom the company prospered. Lattman produced English, French and German decks centred around a range of themes and subjects. The firm continued to operate until 1929.

The Cards

The prestigious and wealthy state of Prussia is displayed in all its glory on the present cards. At the time of publication, Prussia was one of the most powerful countries in the still-divided Germany thanks to its modern army. Each Ace card shows two of its magnificent palaces and public buildings:

Clubs – Babelsberg / Kronprintzl. Palais in Berlin

Diamonds – Breslauer Schloss / Konigl. Palais in Berlin

Hearts – Konigl. Schloss in Berlin / Sanssouci

Spades – Konigsberger Schloss / Schloss Nikolsburg

Likewise, the double-figure court cards display portraits of important Prussian figures, the Kings and Queens showing the aristocracy and the Jacks as decorated military servicemen:

Clubs – Friedrich Wilhelm I/Friedrich d. Grosse, Grosherzogin

Alexandrine/Furstin Liegnitz, Graf v. Bismarck/v. Roon

Diamonds – Friedrich Wilhelm III/Friedrich Wilhelm II, Prinzss Friedr. Carl/Prinzessin Carl, Horwarth von Bittenfeld/von Steinmetz

Hearts – Friedrich Wilhelm IV/Konig v. Preussen, Kronprinzss. V. Preussen/Konigin v. Preussen, Fried. Wilh. Kronpr. v. Preuss/Fried. Carl

Prinz v. Preuss

Spades – Grosse Kurfurst/Friedrich I, Konigin Louise/Konigin Wwe v. Preussen, Vogel von Falkenstein/von Moltke

[?FROMMANN, Maximilian Joseph]

Musicalische Zauberkarte

100.000 Tänze für das Piano.

Publication [?Darmstadt, ?M. Frommann, c1869].

Description

32 lithograph playing cards with fine original hand-colour, red hexagon and dot pattern to versos.

Dimensions

93 by 63mm (3.75 by 2.5 inches).

References

Van den Bergh pp.206-207.

The Maker

There remains little clarity regarding the origin of the present deck. The German version was most likely produced by Maximilian Frommann from Darmstadt and was published under the title ‘Musicalische Zauberkarte

100.000 Tänze für das Piano’ (‘Musical Magic Cards. 100,000 dances for the piano’). For a description of Frommann, please see item 88.

The deck can be roughly dated to 1869 because of a review in ‘Polybiblion: Universal Bibliographic Review’ from that year.

The Cards

Besides being used as playing cards, the present deck can also be used as “musical magic cards” to generate a multitude of melodies. Each card has a musical stave, accompanied by an illustration of figures playing various instruments. Instructions accompanying a later facsimile read:

“Select indiscriminately and place on the musicdesk, in the middle a 1, on the left-hand extremity a picture-card, and on the right a seven. Fill each of the two intervening spaces by any three cards taken also indiscriminately... It will then be found that the nine cards placed together form two pieces of dance-music which can be played without difficulty.”

The cards proved popular enough to warrant reproduction and translation into several languages, including French and Italian. The Laemmert firm in Rio de Janeiro was responsible for English and Portuguese versions too.

FROMMANN, Maximilian Joseph

[Transformation playing cards].

Publication [Darmstadt, Frommann & Bünte, c1870].

Description

52 chromolithograph playing cards, red printed pattern to versos.

Dimensions 89 by 65mm (3.5 by 2.5 inches).

References Van den Bergh pp.158-159.