From the history of playing cards: How "pictures" came to Russia, and who was depicted on them at different times

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Many people like “to be thrown into the game of cards”. Perhaps, everyone at least once in his life played "a fool", "a goat" or "a drunkard." And the most advanced ones fight in poker or “paint a bullet”. The fair sex often throws solitaire games or guessing in order to look into the future or get an answer to a tormenting question. And far fewer people know about the history of the cards and the original meaning of the images on them.

As the story goes, the cards originate in Asia. However, this option has nothing to do with the cards we are used to today. Then they moved to Europe, where they gained immense popularity.

The Europeans quickly got a taste, and from personal experience they felt all the adrenaline from gambling. Everything went so far that already in the XIV century in Bern, a ban was imposed on the cards. Documentary evidence of the popularity of cards at that time has survived - the painting by an unknown author of the 16th century depicts aristocrats with children holding cards in their hands.

A little later, playing cards came to Russia. But here they were not received as rosy as in Europe. Especially not to the liking of these "devilish pictures" fell to Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, who suggested that the gamblers put brands and rip out their nostrils. Not a very pleasant prospect of the consequences of such fun. For this reason, in Russia, maps were forgotten for many years.

Time passed, power changed, and at the same time, the fashion for cards returned again. This time it was brought from Europe by Peter I. On his instructions, two factories were organized in Russia that specialize in the production of playing cards in the European manner, but the ruler himself does not play with them. The approval for the issue of cards did not at all mean the approval of the king for gambling for money.

The production of playing cards is turning into a significant part of the income of the entire state and at the same time a source of high-profile scandals. For example, there is a known case at the beginning of the 19th century when Prince Golitsyn lost at cards to his wife Count Razumovsky … Just think - not a house, not a cow, but a wife! Then the story ended in divorce and the move of the betrothed prince to her new husband.

In 1830, by issuing maps, they decided to increase the literacy of the population, putting on the cards the emblems and territories of the Empire, the location of cities, etc. All in the same year, it was decided to write professionals out of Lubeck, who were entrusted with developing a Russian version of a playing deck, which would replace the overseas ones. Whether from their own laziness, or something, but the German artists decided not to bother themselves too much and just slightly reworked their usual North German motive. That design can be seen on maps today. The same principle of placing the figures remained, the same flowers in the hands of the lady, the scepter with precious stones and the power of the kings, the berdysh for the jacks. 100% similarity with the cards of the Germans is visible in the color design of the deck.

In the future, Charelman will carefully work out the design of the cards, which will bring his name into the depths of Russian history. The result of his work was the very satin deck with which everyone, young and old, is now familiar.

Among the huge number of card decks there are also special ones, one of which is now in the possession of collector Eduard Schweigert. It is known for certain that the German Lieutenant General Schroeder and Alexander III played it and it was only once. In gratitude for the pleasant time spent and in memory of the event, the ruler presented the deck to his rival.

The original Russian genre is also noted in the history of our maps, under the influence of the Emperor's charity ball in the style of the 17th century, organized in 1903. Then, as now, they loved to plunge into the past. But even these cards did not get around the German accent, which, in principle, is not at all surprising, because the "parent" of the deck is a real German Dondorf.

The revolution also contributed to the design of the cards. Before the coup d'état, the symbol of the empire, the double-headed eagle, was printed on playing cards. The Soviet government could not allow this, which was quickly corrected.

Gradually, the fashion for themed decks began. The maps began to depict places of culture, representatives of bohemians, politicians and just naked women. For example, in besieged Leningrad, a circulation of "Antifascist" cards was issued, which depicted Hitler with a skull in his hands, Admiral Horthy of Hungary with a glass filled with blood, Mussolini with a bloody ax and other "friends of the Fuhrer".

There was another interesting variant of cards with a double meaning - anti-religious. On the main plane were clergymen, behind whom their "true" motivation could be seen.

Not all variants of cards that existed in the past are listed here. But in any case, they are not a variant of the classic playing cards with which people have fun today.

Today it is interesting to know about who from the imperial family was hiding behind drawings on a popular deck of playing cards