The Game of Aesop Playing Cards, 1935

Item — Box: CFC Artifact Box 6

Identifier: CFC2021.0543.1

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The Carlson Fable Collection is a gathering of primary fable materials at Reinert Alumni Memorial Library at Creighton University. It grew out of the personal collection of fable materials gathered by Rev. Gregory Carlson, S.J. and was given to the Creighton Libraries in 1996. There are more than 10,000 books and approximately 8,000 artifacts in the collection.

From plates to stamps, from cards to whiskey decanters, from toys to posters, you'll find just about anything you can imagine here. Please explore all that is to offer here in my fables Catalogue of Objects.

This is the largest online catalog of fable related objects on the internet. Many are from Aesop's Fables but you will find La Fontaine, Velazquez and Krylov also represented in this collection.

Dates

1935

Creator

Russell Playing Card Co. (Organization)

Extent

5" Linear Feet ; 5" x 3" x 1"

Additional Description

Abstract

1935? "The Game of Aesop." Seventeen pairs of cards (text and illustration, respectively), lettered alike A through Q, and one odd card with a picture of Aesop (right). Artcraft

Abstract

The text-cards have plain light backing, while the picture-cards have a brown backing. The illustrations are simple and enjoyable. The human face of the lion on "D" is a clue that the illustrations are done after the work of an early artist. The fox on "M" only looks at the grapes. A text card explaining the game is the companion to the card bearing Aesop's portrait. The texts do not seem to come from a version I am aware of. The point of the game is for each contestant to get the most matches between text and picture. The image of "I" has a corner torn off, and the texts of "O" and "Q" show a crease. The cards came with a standard deck of Artcraft cards in an Artcraft box. Who knows whether they are really from Artcraft?!