Shakespeare Playing Cards

Published August 09, 2011 Updated June 27, 2023

Shakespeare Playing Cards pack published in the 1890s with original paintings are by John H. Bacon.

1895 Germany United Kingdom Dondorf Faulkner John H. Bacon Art & Design Literature Shakespeare
Lady Anne, from Richard III, from Shakespeare Playing Cards published by C.W. Falkner, London, c.1906 / Dondorf's Whist No.192

C. W. Faulkner & Co Ltd, 79 Golden Lane, London E.C.

Faulkner & Co. Ltd were prolific card game manufacturers over a period of around 50 years, c.1870-1920. The Shakespeare Playing Cards pack was published in c.1906. The original paintings for the courts are by John H. Bacon. The chromolithographic printing was done in Germany by B. Dondorf and the name of the publisher appears not only on the Ace of Spades but also on the Jack of Clubs where Dondorf would normally print their own name. The cards were also issued by Dondorf as Shakespeare-Spielkarte, Whist No.192.

The courts are not named but a separate card lists the characters. These are: Spades, from ‘Hamlet’, K: Claudius King of Denmark, Q: Gertrude, J: grave digger. Hearts, K: Henry V, Q: Katherine, from ‘Henry V’, J: Hubert de Burgh from ‘King John’. Clubs, K: Richard III, Q: Lady Anne, from ‘Richard III’, J: Jacques from ‘As You Like It’. Diamonds, from ‘Henry VIII’ are K: Henry VIII, Q: Katherine of Aragon, J: Sir Thomas Lovell.

Dondorf's Whist No.192 / Shakespeare Playing Cards published by C.W. Falkner, London, c.1906

Above: cards from C.W. Faulkner's “Shakespeare Playing Cards”. The court figures are based on original paintings by the illustrator John H. Bacon, who also illustrated titles such as: Pharos the Egyptian (as serialized in the Windsor Magazine in 1898), The Marriage of Arthur and Guinevere, Jane Eyre Illustrated. Editions with advertising backs are also known, eg Hotels of the Midland Railway. The pack also contained a Joker showing a jester playing a guitar and riding on a donkey, with the caption "Laugh! and the world laughs with you." Images courtesy Sallie Boyd.

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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.

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