{ignore}{/ignore} Empire No.170 — Empire No.170 — The World of Playing Cards
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Empire No.170

Published January 20, 2013 Updated July 17, 2023

The Queens, who wear short sleeved dresses with bonnets adorned with chin straps and roses, hold a rose, a fan, a bird or a letter.

Germany Dondorf Empire Rococo

B. Dondorf: ‘[[*longtitle]]/171/172’

The costumes in these luxury playing cards first published by Dondorf towards the end of the 19th century are in the style of c.1800; the days of brocades, lace and periwigs are over but costumes still look like pieces of art! The four Kings carry the usual insignia and are clean shaven. The Queens, who wear short sleeved dresses with bonnets adorned with chin straps and roses, hold a rose, a fan, a bird or a letter. The Jacks, one of whom carries a sealed letter and another holds a dagger, are reminiscent of lads from the time of the French Revolution. The four Aces are decorated with ribbons and vines. Printed by chromolithography in 13 colours with the addition of red and black suit symbols.

Dondorf's ‘[[*longtitle]]’

Above: Dondorf's ‘[[*longtitle]]’, printed by chromolithography in several editions [Empire No.170, 171 & Empire No.172] with slight variations in the style of indices, gold corners, with or without Joker, c.1894-1933. 92x60mm. The reverse features yellow roses.

The maker's name can be read on the Jack of Clubs. The deck was exported to Switzerland and Denmark, and was sold in England through the importing agent Edward Hamilton (later Hamilton, Hills & Co., London E.C.), as “The Imperial Pack of Unique Playing Cards No.172”. It was also produced in patience size during the 1980s. Images courtesy Barney Townshend.

REFERENCES

Hoffmann, Detlef and Dietrich, Margot: "Die Dondorf'schen Luxus-Spielkarten", Harenberg, Dortmund 1983.

avatar
131 Articles

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.

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Empire No.170 — Empire No.170 — The World of Playing Cards

Empire No.170

Published January 20, 2013 Updated July 17, 2023

The Queens, who wear short sleeved dresses with bonnets adorned with chin straps and roses, hold a rose, a fan, a bird or a letter.

Germany Dondorf Empire Rococo

B. Dondorf: ‘Empire No.170/171/172’

The costumes in these luxury playing cards first published by Dondorf towards the end of the 19th century are in the style of c.1800; the days of brocades, lace and periwigs are over but costumes still look like pieces of art! The four Kings carry the usual insignia and are clean shaven. The Queens, who wear short sleeved dresses with bonnets adorned with chin straps and roses, hold a rose, a fan, a bird or a letter. The Jacks, one of whom carries a sealed letter and another holds a dagger, are reminiscent of lads from the time of the French Revolution. The four Aces are decorated with ribbons and vines. Printed by chromolithography in 13 colours with the addition of red and black suit symbols.

Dondorf's ‘Empire No.170’

Above: Dondorf's ‘Empire No.170’, printed by chromolithography in several editions [Empire No.170, 171 & Empire No.172] with slight variations in the style of indices, gold corners, with or without Joker, c.1894-1933. 92x60mm. The reverse features yellow roses.

The maker's name can be read on the Jack of Clubs. The deck was exported to Switzerland and Denmark, and was sold in England through the importing agent Edward Hamilton (later Hamilton, Hills & Co., London E.C.), as “The Imperial Pack of Unique Playing Cards No.172”. It was also produced in patience size during the 1980s. Images courtesy Barney Townshend.

REFERENCES

Hoffmann, Detlef and Dietrich, Margot: "Die Dondorf'schen Luxus-Spielkarten", Harenberg, Dortmund 1983.

avatar
131 Articles

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.

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