Danish Tarok Cards - Holmblad, c.1850

Published July 03, 1996 Updated December 03, 2023

The traditional animal images on tarok decks are here substituted by images of buildings from Copenhagen and the surrounding area. The deck had several editions, with each new edition updating the latest changes to the buildings that had taken place since the previous edition.

1850 Denmark Holmblad Tarock

L. P. Holmblads Fabrik i Kjøbenhavn, c.1850

After taking over from his father Jacob in 1837, L.P. Holmblad mastered the techniques and kept abreast of new production technologies. Possibly due to pressures of market competition, he began to innovate and had new designs drawn. He departed from the traditional animal images on tarok trumps which his father had employed and substituted images of buildings from Copenhagen and the surrounding area, mainly churches and castles. The deck had several editions (at least 4), with each new edition updating the latest changes to the buildings that had taken place since the previous edition. This tarok deck was continued by S. Salomon who were Holmblad's successors at the end of the century  see more →

stencil-coloured Tarok pack made by L. P. Holmblad in c.1850

Above: cards from an early stencil-coloured Tarok pack made by L. P. Holmblad in c.1850. Holmblad was the most important card-producer in Denmark and became a household name. This design had several editions and this is the only one with six full-length images on the trump cards. The Roman numerals on the trumps were replaced by Arabic numerals, and the trumps became double-ended.


REFERENCES

Hinrup, Hans J.: The Holmblad Playing Card Patterns, in "The Playing-Card" vol.33 no.4, IPCS London, Apr-June 2005.

Hinrup, Hans J.: L.P. Holmblad - Danish Playing Card Maker: The Tarok Packs, in "The Playing-Card" vol.31 no.5, IPCS London, Mar-Apr 2003.

Jensen, K. Frank: French suited tarot packs in Denmark and the Jacob Holmblad Animal tarot, in "The Playing-Card" vol.36 no.3, IPCS London, Apr-June 2008.   [download here].

Images courtesy Hans Jørgen Hinrup ~ web: https://sparfire.dk/.

avatar
1,481 Articles

By Simon Wintle

Member since February 01, 1996

I am the founder of The World of Playing Cards (est. 1996), a website dedicated to the history, artistry and cultural significance of playing cards and tarot. Over the years I have researched various areas of the subject, acquired and traded collections and contributed as a committee member of the IPCS and graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal. Having lived in Chile, England, Wales, and now Spain, these experiences have shaped my work and passion for playing cards. Amongst my achievements is producing a limited-edition replica of a 17th-century English pack using woodblocks and stencils—a labour of love. Today, the World of Playing Cards is a global collaborative project, with my son Adam serving as the technical driving force behind its development. His innovative efforts have helped shape the site into the thriving hub it is today. You are warmly invited to become a contributor and share your enthusiasm.

Related Articles

1914 Austrian Tarock by S.D. Modiano

Austrian Tarock by S.D. Modiano

Modiano’s Austrian Tarock with country scenes has been in production for over 100 years.

1910 Tarock Cards by NIL Spielkartenfabrik

Tarock Cards by NIL Spielkartenfabrik

A deck of tarock cards from the eastern end of the ending Austro-Hungarian Empire.

1981 Alan Tarot Deck

Alan Tarot Deck

Reprint of a Tarock pack originally designed by Argio Orell for the Austrian Lloyd shipping company....

2022 Jim Lyngvild playing cards

Jim Lyngvild playing cards

Photographs of Danish royalty as imagined by fashion designer Jim Lyngvild.

2022 Damn! Fools by Moon

Damn! Fools by Moon

Damn! Fools playing cards designed by Leo Scherfig, 2022.

1965 Jeu de Tarot (Catel & Farcy)

Jeu de Tarot (Catel & Farcy)

Colourful version of a standard French (‘Bourgeois’) Tarot.

1862 Johann Nejedly Tarok Cards

Johann Nejedly Tarok Cards

Johann Nejedly, a 19th-century Viennese card maker, produced Tarock cards featuring modern scenes th...

2024 Paris 2024 Olympics 2

Paris 2024 Olympics 2

A standard French Tarot game pack with passing references to the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

1854 Joseph Sürch, Engraver

Joseph Sürch, Engraver

Joseph Sürch, a prominent Viennese engraver, made significant contributions to card sheet engraving ...

2024 Tarot – Images du Pays Basque

Tarot – Images du Pays Basque

Seventy-eight photographic images of the French Basque Country on a pack for playing the game of Tar...

Animal Tarot by Johann Jobst Forster

Animal Tarot by Johann Jobst Forster

French-suited 78-card animal tarot deck of the Bavarian type.

2002 Valhalla spillekort

Valhalla spillekort

Characters from the Valhalla comics, designed by Peter Madsen, as commemorated on a Danish stamp.

1825 Mythological tarot by Michael Schatzberger

Mythological tarot by Michael Schatzberger

Mythological tarot by Michael Schatzberger, Passau, Bavaria, early 19th century.

1820 Animal Tarot by Joseph Fetscher

Animal Tarot by Joseph Fetscher

French-suited Natural History Tarot deck by Joseph Fetscher, Munich, c.1820.

Mythological and Allegorical tarot

Mythological and Allegorical tarot

Mythological and Allegorical tarot produced by Peter Paul Fetscher junior, Munich.

Animal Tarot by Andreas Benedict Göbl

Animal Tarot by Andreas Benedict Göbl

French-suited Animal Tarot deck produced by Andreas Benedict Göbl, Munich.