The Maker

The card bearing the answer "d'en doubte" has the publisher's imprint inscribed on the upper right-hand side of the card: "David, Paris", while a question card reading "avez vous bon caractere" may bear the name of the maker, although it is illegible.

The Cards

Popular during the nineteenth century in France, question-and-answer card games were divided into suitably generic inquiries and responses to allow players to create a variety of funny combinations. In the present deck the questions and answers are combined with caricature stock-characters for greater comedic effect.

To the matronly figure asking "Serez-vous fidèle" ('will you be faithful'), for example, players could choose a range of responses, "d'en doute" ('doubtful'), said by a stern-looking man in a bow tie, to "quelquefois" ('sometimes'), according to a mischievous man in a round hat. Those cards that bear responses have their writing highlighted in pink, while those with answers are uncoloured; on all cards, pink is used to highlight aspects of the caricatures dress or appearance.