miscellaneous by Grace Bonney 24

the (inspiring) world of playing cards


if you want to know how i spent, oh, 4 solid hours of my life last night, let me introduce you to the wealth of inspiration that is the world of playing cards. playing cards, grace? really? yes, really. i don’t know how i ended up on this site, but i had to physically pull myself away from it after i’d covered every inch of my desktop with images i wanted to save and work with at some point.

i’ve always had a major soft spot for anything queen of hearts related (wait until you see amy’s “alice in wonderland” themed living in post today!), so i’ve always found myself collecting images here and there that remind of me hearts, spades and anything antique and regal-looking. so when i first loaded world of playing cards i think i felt my heart actually skip a beat. it was like i’d stumbled into a world of complete and total inspiration- there wasn’t a single image that failed to elicit an “ooh!”, and i ended up calling a friend and forcing her to put down her work so she could check it out.

simon wintle‘s collection of images and information on the history of playing cards is astonishing. you can search and examine cards from all different countries, or search based on subject matter or specific designer. i learned so much more than i could have even hoped for, so if you’ve got some time (a few hours, maybe?) to spare, i highly suggest checking out the world of playing cards site. the tiny artwork on each card is beautiful, and it’s really amazing to see how the design of cards has changed over the years. click here to check out the site and get inspired…

*all images via the world of playing cards*

CLICK HERE for more beautiful playing card images after the jump!





*all images via the world of playing cards*

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24 Comments

Shanon

This is so funny. I was just saying this weekend that I’d like to start collecting vintage playing cards, that there are probably some really neat ones out there.
Yup. There sure is.

Adam Wintle

Thank you for such a brilliant review of the website! :)

We have lots of new features coming soon to the World of Playing Cards, including our own blog! Its so nice to hear that creative people like yourselves are enjoying the website :)

Adam Wintle – WoPC Web Designer.

ginny branch stelling

i love playing cards and these are divine! my favorite ones i have are one set of tee-tiny miniature playing cards and then a set of engraved ones with my grandmother’s name. so great!

JayTee

I agree–my mother collected jokers when I was young, and I used to spend hours looking through her stuffed photo albums, looking through all the designs. So unique.

Stacey

So beautiful and inspiring! I may have to set aside some time today to go through them, too :)

Hither and Thither

My husband bought me a wonderful set of cards for Christmas: reproductions of 18th-century cards that would have been used in the taverns of Colonial America. They were printed with wood blocks (the face cards hand-painted). We posted about them on our site in February (post is titled “Spite and Malice,” if you’re curious). I would love to collect some of these other vintage sets!

Carolyn H.

I see endless possibilities for decorating with beautiful playing cards. The most obvious is framing small collections of the prettiest. I’d also love to, say, cut a pretty (and relatively inexpensive) deck into butterflies and make a decorative mobile. Imagine clusters of them hanging on fine wire… Love it!

Janelle

Love these! I remember in art school having a deck of cards project. Challenging, but was really cool. Might have to hunt those playing cards down =)

DC Sarah

incredibly inspiring and beautiful. i love the feeling when you are so in awe over something you have to call and share immediately to spread the love. so curious about the one with the bulls head.

Meghan

If you’re looking for more contemporary cards, music inspired.. check out the decks sold by Gigposters. http://www.gigposters.com/merch.php
If you click on the photo of the deck, you can see what all the cards look like. I have all three decks and they are pretty awesome!

Linda Saxbee

hello…..I am looking for a design for a tattoo…..it is in memory of my dad…I would like the king of hearts playing card style…but maybe a little more feminine than the well known card design. Can anyone help…..Thanks

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