C. 1850s-70s French No Indices, Stencil Colored Playing Cards, Complete 52 Deck unusual pen but is in good shape

but is in good shape

I must say the "window" at center and the dramatic framing of it also makes me think a puppet show should be enacted behind it

The subjects of his artworks included landscapes

but I can't find a mark anywhere so have to assume it is silver plate

variations on a theme becoming in a sense portraits of their makers

C. 1850s-70s French No Indices, Stencil Colored Playing Cards, Complete 52 Deck unusual pen but is in good shapeIt's been a while since I found a great deck of antique playing cards, so was glad to discover these on a loop through New Hampshire the other day. This is a complete 52 card deck, unmarked, but based on the style and names on the face cards I know they are French, and I believe produced by Grimaud sometime between 1855 1875. With square corners, once can see that the trimming (these would have been cut from a large sheet) is a bit irregular, and that