Costume Playing Cards

The Victoria and Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum, in South Kensington, London, England, houses a world-reknowned collection of decorative arts. In their own words, as recorded on their own web page:

The Victoria and Albert Museum is the largest museum of the decorative arts in the world. It was founded in 1852 as the South Kensington Museum, and in 1899 it was renamed the Victoria and Albert Museum in honour of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Today the beautiful Victorian and Edwardian buildings house 145 galleries containing some of the world's greatest collections of sculpture, furniture, fashion and textiles, paintings, silver, glass, ceramics, jewelry, books, prints and photographs.

The "Dress Gallery," which houses a collection of fashion and accessories that spans some four hundred years, is one of their most popular exhibits. It is also the collection growing most rapidly, as they strive to collect examples of both antique and contemporary dress. Within recent memory, the focus of the collection has shifted from technical and material concerns (garments were originally collected only if they were made of historically significant textiles) to more aesthetic considerations like cut, construction, and place in the history of fashion. Garments like the one pictured on the Joker (above, right), "Double breasted suit designed by Mr. Fish of London, 1968" are more than mere oddities of the collection, but rather significant milestones in the development of modern fashion.

The deck presented here contains fifty-three separate complete costumes, from 1630 to 1968, for both women and men. There are perhaps twice as many cards of women's dress as men's, but that may well just reflect the proportions within the whole collection itself. I have forced myself to choose only a select few cards for presentation, but I couldn't limit myself to only my traditional four cards. The six presented here are a vain attempt at covering as wide a span of years and styles within three cards as I could. The entire deck is well worth a look.

All images © the Victoria and Albert Museum, displayed here for commentary, analysis and appreciation only.

Seven of Hearts: Satin gown and petticoat, French late 1770's. Commonly called a "farthingale," this French court dress is most recognizable for its embroidered skirt with matching underskirt, covering a frame of "panniers," which are essentially supported petticoats. The dress featured a tight-fitting bodice with a low scooped neckline and lace pagoda sleeves. It was often accompanied by a matching fan and a high, powdered wig, often topped with feathers or wax flowers.

Ten of Hearts: Satin evening dress, English or French 1823-4. This off-the-shoulder gown features puff sleeves and a high waist position with a thin belt. The skirt hung just off the floor, and included a frilled hem. It is shown here accompanied by its traditional lacy shawl.

Queen of Clubs: Evening dress, satin French c1897. Similar to its Victorian contemporaries across the Channel, this dress featured a low neckline, pleated trims, and artificial floral accents. The flaired skirt is gathered at the back into a back "fullness" (like a small bustle). It is shown here accompanied by full-length gloves and a lace fan.

Three of Spades: Slashed and braided satin doublet, breeches and cloak, English c1630. This outfit is characterized by wide linen and lace collars, as well as the high-waisted doublet with knee-length matching breeches. The breeches were gathered at the knee and held there with garters. It was most often accompanied by a large hat with one side of the brim turned up and trimmed with ostrich plumes, and by a shoulder cape. The boots were made of soft leather with lace trim cuffs turned down.

Five of Spades: Fine wool dress coat and waist coat, English c1760. This embroidered coat and waistcoat featured large buttons, tight sleeves, a lace cravat, and pockets set at hip level. The breeches had a fitted band at the knee, and were usually accompanied by flat-heeled shoes with high, round tongues and large buckles. Under the three-cornered hat is found the fashionable wig dressed away from the face, with side curls and ringlets down the back, tied with a large bow.

Eight of Diamonds: Double breasted dress coat, wool, English 1815-1820. This outfit features a double-breasted tail coat with tight sleeves. A short waistcoat covers a ruffled shirt which has its cuffs showing at the wrist. The long, narrow trousers sport pockets. The outfit is shown here complete with a felt top hat with turned-up brim and flat leather shoes.

[Costume research by Donna Dube.]