Kaiser Bill – King of Acorns

The Maker

For a description of the. Altenburger Spielkartenfabrik, see item 130.

The Cards

During the First World War, the Altenburger Spielkartenfabrik firm published propaganda decks to support the war effort. The present deck patriotically uses the German suits of Acorns, Bells, Hearts and Leaves, and each card shows a different image intended to evoke national pride. The court cards show double-figure portraits of the German leaders, the Aces the heraldic arms of the country’s kingdoms, and the pip cards various scenes from the war, including two soldiers setting up a huge missile before the cityscape of Antwerp, and armed men marching along the Rhine in Belgium.

The cards proved extremely popular and by the end of the war, 100,000 decks had been published. Interestingly, the design of the cards changed throughout the conflict, reflecting the military and political developments that occurred from 1815 to 1819. The present deck of cards represents an early example, published in the first half of the war. It shows Kaiser Wilhelm as the King of Acorns, reflecting his popularity at this point; by the time the final editions were published, however, he had been replaced by Prince Leopold von Bayern due to general public dissatisfaction with their ruler. This dissatisfaction would, of course, come to manifest itself in the civil unrest that eventually forced the Kaiser to abdicate in 1918.

Altenburger Und Stalsunder Spielkartenfabrik

[German WWI playing cards].

Publication

Stralsund, Altenburger und Stralsunder Spielkartenfabrik, [c1916].

Description

32 chromolithograph playing cards, blue printed panel to versos.

Dimensions 101 by 57mm (4 by 2.25 inches).

References

Van den Bergh p.97; Yale 27/GER426 or 2828/GER425.

Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin promoted from Under Knave to Knave

The Maker

For information about Altenburger Spielkartenfabrik, please see item 130.

The Cards

The propaganda cards of the Altenburger Spielkartenfabrik firm attain their final form in the present deck of cards. Dating from the last year of the war, these cards illustrate the developments that had occurred in both leadership and public opinion.

Some small changes are shown on the court cards, including the King of Bells, which shows Duke Albrecht van Württemberg now adorned with the Iron Cross and Pour le Mérite that he had been awarded over the course of the war. Similarly, the rising importance of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin is mirrored by his promotion from Under Knave to Knave, a higher-ranking card.

Interestingly, the scenes on the pip cards have also been changed, the modifications reflecting the shifting mood within Germany. In early editions, the Seven of Bells showed soldiers marching along the Rhine, but in the present edition this vignette has been replaced with a scene entitled ‘Feinde im Lande’ (‘Enemies in the country’). The illustration suggests that spies, black marketeers, Jews and captains of industry are responsible for Germany’s deterioration. Likewise, on the Nine of Bells, which is captioned ‘Durchhalten’ (‘Hold strong’), the ration packs reflect a sense of long-lasting endurance.

Altenburger Und Stalsunder Spielkartenfabrik

[German WWI playing cards].

Publication

Stralsund, Altenburger und Stralsunder Spielkartenfabrik, [c1916].

Description

32 chromolithograph playing cards, stamp to one, eagle and iron cross to versos.

Dimensions 93 by 61mm (3.75 by 2.5 inches).

References

Van den Bergh p.98; for later edition see Yale 2834/GER432.

The Maker

For information about Altenburger Spielkartenfabrik, please see item 130.

The Cards

Unlike the range of other propaganda cards published by the Altenburger Spielkartenfabrik firm during the course of the First World War, the present deck uses the French suit system and consists of 52 cards. The Aces represent the most important German kingdoms, with the crest above the central suit mark and their mottos below:

Clubs – Prussia

Diamonds – Württemberg

Hearts – Bavaria

Spades – Saxony

The double-figure court cards show portraits of important German leaders on the King and Jacks, including Commander Hindenburg, Kaiser Wilhelm and renowned aviation pioneer Zeppelin, while the Queens show allegorical representations of valuable pursuits, such as “technik u wissenschaft” (“technology and science”).

The present deck is an example from the early years of the war, but by 1918, the design of several cards had been changed to reflect developments in the conflict and in public opinion. For instance, the Queen of Clubs, which in earlier examples had shown Auguste Victoria, the last queen of Prussia, was replaced by a female figure holding a child, captioned “Volkskraft” (“community strength”).

WÜST, Conrad Ludwig

[Feldherren karte].

Publication [Frankfurt, c1916].

Description

32 chromolithograph playing cards, stamp to one, eagle, throne and flag to versos.

Dimensions 92 by 62mm (3.5 by 2.5 inches).

References Van den Bergh p.100; Yale 2844/GER442.