L. P. Holmblad, c.1845
Holmblad ordered his earlier designs to be re-drawn and updated. Comparison of packs from this era show instances where one figure is replaced by another more imposing version.
Lauritz P. Holmblad (1815-1890) ordered his earlier designs to be re-drawn and updated. Comparison of packs from this era show instances where one figure is replaced by another more imposing version. The artwork shown here provides a fascinating insight into the creative processes at work between pencil drawings on paper, with delicate rendering of local colour, light, shade and texture and the etched, printed and stencil-coloured playing cards. The artists' and models' identities are not known.
Fortune Buchholtz comments: "Several of these faces seem quite familiar to me - they are highly reminiscent of various royal portraits in the Danish Rosenborg Castle. This opened to the public in 1838, so by the 1845 these portraits would have been well-known to the educated in Denmark."
Above: an early L. P. Holmblad deck, c.1845 and some of the original drawings. The royal licence had been transferred to him in 1841 so by making his new playing card designs highly reminiscent of royal portraits perhaps he was seeking to establish a reputation with the best clientèle. All images courtesy Hans J. Hinrup.
REFERENCES
Hinrup, Hans J.: The Holmblad Playing Card Patterns, in "The Playing-Card" vol.33 no.4, IPCS London, Apr-June 2005.
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
Zürcher Festspiel 1903
Swiss-suited pack designed by Robert Hardmeyer featuring figures from art and politics.
Never Mind the Belote
Limited edition Belote pack with designs by a collective of 24 street artists.
Playing card designs by Franz Exler
Reconstruction of playing cards from the original 1903 designs.
MITSCHKAtzen
Clever cat designs by the Austrian artist and illustrator Willi Mitschka.
22 Pittori in 22 Arcani
Collaborative Tarot with contributions from 22 different Italian artists including Menegazzi and Tav...
Whist by Ditha Moser
Ditha Moser created this minimalist Whist deck in 1905, in the style of the Vienna Secession art mov...
Keith Haring playing cards
Energetic graffiti images by the American artist Keith Haring.
Jim Lyngvild playing cards
Photographs of Danish royalty as imagined by fashion designer Jim Lyngvild.
Carte di Natale
Designed by Pier Canosa as a Christmas pack for the Cortina Art Gallery in Milan.
Queen of Arts
A wide variety of women artists celebrated on cards with illustrations by Laura Callaghan.
Fredericks & Mae playing cards
A rainbow pack from the design team of Fredericks & Mae and Benjamin English.
Pam is the Knave of Clubs
Playing cards as metaphors in 18th century art - from fate, chance and social hierarchy t...
Leadmill playing cards
Promotional pack for an arts centre in Sheffield with designs by Martin F. Bedford.
Typographic Playing Cards
Typographic Playing Cards designed by Jim Sutherland, c.2010.
Damn! Fools by Moon
Damn! Fools playing cards designed by Leo Scherfig, 2022.
Crown Hill playing cards
Crown Hill playing cards with illustrations by Corrine Guiney, USA,
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 28 days
