Cartes a Jouer - Exposition Universelle 1900

Playing cards is one of the most enduring pastimes around the world. This poster for Grimaud cards highlights the classic characters of a card set - the royalty of King, Queen, and Jack (which is usually personified as a member of the Court). This poster was created to celebrate and advertise the company’s big winnings at the 1900 Universal Exposition in Paris.

Founded in 1848, Grimaud is one of the oldest manufacturers of playing cards still in business. They climbed in popularity for being known as a ‘professionals’ card - the company was constantly pushing the boundaries to make their cards as uniform and easy to handle as possible. Indeed, they were the first card company to introduce the rounded-corner cards we are used to playing with today.

There is not much known about the life of artist Gaston Quenioux. He designed a few books in addition to this poster, and also for a time was the French Inspector General of Drawing Education.

This is an Original Vintage Poster. It is not a reproduction. This poster is conservation mounted, linen backed and in excellent condition. We guarantee the authenticity of all of our posters.