Sleeping Beauty meets Puss in Boots

The Maker

The name of the maker “Lequart & Mignot” appears on the Ace of Clubs. The firm operated in Paris from 1878 until 1891, before it was bought by B. P. Grimaud in 1891.

The Cards

A mixture of caricatured figures from everyday life and scenes from popular fairy tales and folklore adorn these cards. The Nine of Diamonds, for instance, depicts Sleeping Beauty and the Ten of Spades Puss in Boots, while a policeman is shown on the Ace of Clubs, and a judge on the Ace of Spades.

Each card has a miniature version of the full playing card dominating the upper left-hand corner, so that they form a fully functional deck as well as an interesting reflection on popular culture. The deck bears a strong resemblance to another deck published around the same time by Courbière in St. Étienne.

MOORE & CALVI TOBACCO CO.

[Advertising playing cards].

Publication [New York, Lindner, Eddy & Claus, c1890].

Description

52 chromolithograph playing cards with one joker.

Dimensions 99 by 57mm (4 by 2.25 inches).

References Van den Bergh pp.188; Yale 290/USA120.