Cartes Recréatives
Cartes Recréatives is a set of Transformed playing cards designed by Armand-Gustave Houbigant (1790-1863) and first published by Terquem et May, Metz, in 1819.
Cartes Recréatives is a set of 32 Transformed playing cards, plus a title card (right→), designed by Armand-Gustave Houbigant (1790-1863) and first published by Terquem et May, Metz, in 1819. At least seven packs are now known to have survived, all with slight differences, suggesting that several alternative transformations may have been produced by the artist whilst the entire set was being created. The practice of transforming ordinary playing cards into caricatures or everyday scenes was a fashionable recreation pastime in those days and a challenge of artistic imagination.
The facsimile edition shown here was published by Edizioni del Solleone in 1984 and is based on a complete, reconstituted pack with the title and explanation cards borrowed from another set. Original cards can be viewed online at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France►
The transformations are refined and skillfully engraved. Images include everyday social scenes and cartoons of soldiers, theatre audiences, a séance, a sermon, dancing dogs, a gathering of doctors, politicians, a musical group, etc. all executed with a satirical sense of humour. The pip cards and valets are titled at the bottom of each card. The box has a caricature “Portrait de l’Auteur.”
Above: title card from Cartes Recréatives, 1819. The original cards can be viewed online at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France►
The Court Cards
Above: the kings and queens, according to the artist, are named allegories of gods and goddesses which govern our pleasures, that fit well with the twenty transformed numeral cards, whilst the valets are suitable attendants.
By Rex Pitts (1940-2021)
Member since January 30, 2009
Rex's main interest was in card games, because, he said, they were cheap and easy to get hold of in his early days of collecting. He is well known for his extensive knowledge of Pepys games and his book is on the bookshelves of many.
His other interest was non-standard playing cards. He also had collections of sheet music, music CDs, models of London buses, London Transport timetables and maps and other objects that intrigued him.
Rex had a chequered career at school. He was expelled twice, on one occasion for smoking! Despite this he trained as a radio engineer and worked for the BBC in the World Service.
Later he moved into sales and worked for a firm that made all kinds of packaging, a job he enjoyed until his retirement. He became an expert on boxes and would always investigate those that held his cards. He could always recognize a box made for Pepys, which were the same as those of Alf Cooke’s Universal Playing Card Company, who printed the card games. This interest changed into an ability to make and mend boxes, which he did with great dexterity. He loved this kind of handicraft work.
His dexterity of hand and eye soon led to his making card games of his own design. He spent hours and hours carefully cutting them out and colouring them by hand.
Related Articles
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.
Ben 10 playing cards
Characters from the American animated television science fantasy series Ben 10.
Le Globe Céleste
Views and plans of five international exhibitions held in Paris between 1855 and 1900.
Get Decked
Black and white cartoons devised by Sam Wagner with help from artist Lindsay Bevington.
IG Chemie Papier Keramik
Promotional pack designed by Karl-Heinz Schroers for a German trade union with comical bears on the ...
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...
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.
Animal Skat, Česká Grafická Unie
A non-standard deck from Czechoslovakia.
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.
Tarot Philatélique
Tarot game pack with French postage stamps on all the courts, aces and trumps.
Jeu Philatélique – Les Colonies Françaises
Philatelic card game featuring real postage stamps from the French colonies.
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 28 days
