French Costumes - 1850

Heraclio Fournier and Sons

While the name of this deck might lead you to believe it depicts French fashions from the year 1850, a quick look at the cards themselves shows this to be patently false. The hooped dresses, swords and breeches betray the fashion of a few centuries earlier. What is this deck actually showing, then? A clue can be found in the names under the the Kings and Queens. You won't find any historically significant people named Bussy d'Amboise, but you will find reference to a play by George Chapman entitled the Revenge of Bussy d'Amboise, dating from c. 1610. And likewise, Marion Delorme, while being a historical figure associated with King Louis XIII, is better known as a controversial play by Victor Hugo from 1829, which was banned until 1831 when Charles X was deposed. My guess is that this deck is, in fact, showing theatrical costumes from the 1850 theater season in France, presumably Paris.

The deck is a reproduction of the original, which resides in the Fournier Museum in Vitoria, Spain. I haven't been able to find anything out about the artist, Gibert, but that's at least partly due to the fact that I don't know his full name. The title card of the deck gives this somewhat terse description of the deck, telling us only the name of the deck, the author, and the source of the back design.

Trajes Franceses
1850
Original de Gibert
Museo H. Fournier
Vitoria
Creacion del reverso
Tapicerias Gancedos

In this deck, only the face cards have the costumes on them - the other cards, even the aces, have only standard designs. The Kings and Queens each have the names of characters attached to them, while the Jacks remain anonymous. Actually, the Jack of Diamonds does have "Gibert, a Paris" written on it, but I expect that's just the artist's signature rather than a self-portrait. Once again, alas, Congress has seen fit to cover Fournier's logo on the box with a little gold sticker of their own. I suppose I shall have to go to Spain to get these decks unadulterated.

All images © Heraclio Fournier and Sons, displayed here for commentary, analysis and appreciation only.