Native American, Arizona, Chiricahua or Western Apache groups (Apache tribe), ca. early 20th century CE. A bright and colorful group of seven playing cards made from rawhide, each with hand painted designs based on the Spanish deck (which is different from the modern bridge deck most of us are probably familiar with). All are court cards, depicting figures who are based on Spanish depictions of monarchs and knights, but in the Apache style. Size of each card: 2.3" W x 3.5" H (5.8 cm x 8.9 cm)

From the 1580s, southwestern US and northern Mexican tribes in contact with the Spaniards knew about paper playing cards, and they became popular with the native people. In the mid-1800s, when hostilities between the US and Mexico made border trade more difficult, local tribes began to manufacture rawhide playing cards, a practice that continued until the 1930s. Rawhide was both more available than paper and more durable, making it better suited to the nomadic lifestyle of these Apache groups. See similar examples at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian (6/4597).

Provenance: Ex-Vaught Collection, Atlanta, GA

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#120271

All have some signs of fading/wear from use but designs are very clear.