The Maker
The name of the designer of the present deck, Ferdinand Herwig, appears on the slipcase and the Seven of Diamonds. Herwig was better-known as a painter, and does not appear to have produced any other decks of cards. The present were published by Friedrich Adolf Lattmann, whose name appears to the verso of the case.
In 1794, the prolific Ernst Wilhelm Gottlieb Kircher had transformed his family printing business into a playing card factory. Political upheaval in the following decades meant that the factory was closed, but after its reopening some years later, it was taken over by Friedrich Adolf Lattmann, under whom the company prospered. Lattman produced English, French and German decks centred around a range of themes and subjects. The firm continued to operate until 1929.
The Cards
During the First World War, Lattmann produced two decks of cards around the theme of the conflict, one using the German suits and the other the traditional French, albeit slightly modified, as here, with clubs replaced by crosses. While the pip cards are relatively generic, the court cards show double-figure characters from the war. The Kings represent German leaders:
Clubs - Wilhelm II of Württemberg
Diamonds - Friedrich August III of Saxony
Hearts - Emperor Wilhelm II of Prussia
Spades - Ludwig III of Bavaria
Each of the accompanying Queens is dressed in a typical regional outfit, while the knaves display the uniforms of a variety of military ranks and positions, from seaman to cavalry.