Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
One of a series of sumptuous Venice Simplon-Orient-Express playing cards produced by B.P. Grimaud for the VSOE gift collection. The 3/4 length court cards depict people in Oriental costumes.
One of a series of sumptuous Venice Simplon-Orient-Express playing cards produced by B.P. Grimaud for the VSOE gift collection. The 3/4 length court cards depict Bibliothèque nationale de Francepeople in Oriental costumes and are reminiscent of Dondorf's “Vier-Erdteile” (Four Continents) deck. The deck was originally published by Grimaud in 1890 with no indices as Cartes indiennes, but indices have been overlaid in the present edition. The tax stamp visible on the Ace of Clubs was in use in France until 1940.
See also: Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Playing Cards →

Above: Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Playing Cards produced by B.P. Grimaud, Paris. Images courtesy Barney Townshend.
Further Reading
Kamayani Sharma: How Mughal badshahs and begums became a source of inspiration for 19th-century French playing cards►

By Barney Townshend
Member since October 06, 2015
Retired Airline Pilot, interested in: Transformation Playing Cards, Karl Gerich and Elaine Lewis. Secretary of the EPCS. Treasurer of the IPCS.
Related Articles

Jeu Révolutionnaire
Court cards and aces from a French Revolutionary pack by Pinaut, Paris, c.1794.

French Revolutionary cards by Pinaut
Seven cards from a French Revolutionary pack by Pinaut featuring characters from classical antiquity...

Never Mind the Belote
Limited edition Belote pack with designs by a collective of 24 street artists.

Sannois dans les étoiles
Celebrities and buildings associated with Sannois, a commune in the suburbs of Paris.

Visite Mexico
Promoting Mexican tourism with 54 different photographs in full colour.

Le Globe Céleste
Views and plans of five international exhibitions held in Paris between 1855 and 1900.

Baraja de Juan Martín Zamorano
Deck inspired by El Pendón de los Zamorano, a military pennant dating from 1501, published by Priego...

Whist by Ditha Moser
Ditha Moser created this minimalist Whist deck in 1905, in the style of the Vienna Secession art mov...

Le Journal de Mickey
Perforated sheet of cards with Disney characters issued with the magazine Le Journal de Mickey.

Tarot hiéroglyphique égyptien
The design of the cards draws inspiration from various religious and philosophical traditions merged...

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

La Réussite (Sébastien Féraut)
Sébastien Féraut’s designs inspired by the animal kingdom for a set promoting patience games.

Le Tarot de Sète
Reinterpretation of the Tarot de Marseille by Julien Labat, an artist from Sète.

Oracle Rock
Cartomantic set depicting rock and pop stars, designed by La Rata, with a book by Virginie Despentes...

Jeu Numismatique
European coins of all periods replace the traditional courts and pips.

Jeu Philatélique
Cards with French postage stamps featuring famous literary figures.
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 28 days