Playing Cards by Buzz Poole

Ante up for an intriguing and eclectic collection of 1930s and 1940s American artwork.

Playing Cards, by Buzz Poole

Dating back to the 10th Century and used in every country in the world since not long after, playing cards are ubiquitous and universally appealing as devices of fun or profit or relief of boredom. Unknowable numbers of decks have been hand-drawn on animal skins and vegetable peels, papyrus, stiff cloth, and, of course, paper. As early as 1776, American printers began manufacturing decks of playing cards. In the late-1800s, automated print production took over the playing card world, leading to large scale distribution of mass-produced decks, which brought with it a means to reach large numbers of people with political, advertising, and social messages.

By the 1930s and 1940s, playing card manufacturing was in full swing under only a handful of brands that had bought up most of their smaller competition. Advertisers promoted their brands, and satirists espoused their political observations. Mostly, artists expressed themselves, spreading abstract, Art Deco, and Americana designs to thousands of people who, in those times, would otherwise never see them.

Eclectic designs from the collection

Acquired at a country auction by Ira Pearlstein, who introduces the book, the collection is currently in the possession of designer Luciano Fontanez, who is responsible for the existence of this unique book of stunning—and disposable—art. The collection of playing card backs in Mark Batty Publisher’s Playing Cards embodies the heady and eclectic nature of American society in the 30s and 40s.

The varied subject matter gracing the back of America’s true favorite pastime is staggering in both count and diversity. From twirling ladies to dancing poodles, Native Americans weaving baskets to Venusian lovers snuggling in a gondola, snow encrusted country cottages to swank penthouses replete with cigar smoking gentlemen and martini-sipping dilatants, the designs run the gamut from realistic illustrations of people, places, and things, to abstract patterns and absurd caricatures of life in Depression-era America.

Jokers–wildly interesting

Most intriguing to me is the section devoted to the faces of joker cards, which feature gaily-frolicking fools of all types, and nearly as many abstract interpretations of the American-devised wildcard. Here, playing card designers of the ‘30s and ‘40s truly indulged themselves with wit, satire, and sometimes even panache. I particularly enjoyed the type presentation and selection of typefaces on these face cards, which, in some cases, were as whimsical as the one-, two-, or four-color illustrations. At other times, the serious type selections balanced preposterous jesters.

Although an awkward fit for the bookshelf at 12 x 4.8-inches, Playing Cards is aces up for aficionados of Depression-era popular culture, as well as Art Deco design fans or even hard-playing poker players with a taste for their game’s nostalgia.

Playing Cards by Buzz Poole. Hardcover. Mark Batty Publishers, 2005. ISBN: 0976224526, $24.95.