These five rare and unusual antique Playing Card plates designed by the Victorian illustrator Augustus L. Jansson were part of a series of twenty plates made featuring the King, Queen, Jack (Knave) and Ace in each of the four card suits (heart, spade, club, diamond.) The illustrations are delightful cartoon representations of the playing card royalty in a style rarely seen before or since. The plates feature the King of Clubs, Queene of Clubs, Knave of Clubs, King of Spades, and Knave of Spades, along with a quaint saying on each of the cream colored backgrounds (Example: Ye King of Spades doth rule by night/And judges all by candlelight), along with a green and cream border and a scalloped edge. Minor antique crazing and shows signs of age/use/etc. The artist, Augustus Jansson (1866-1931), was a popular newspaper comics illustrator. Marks on the back include hand-printed serial numbers, as well as WEDGWOOD ETRURIA ENGLAND COPYRIGHT 1909 BY AUGUSTUS L. JANSSON, WEST SOMERVILLE, MASS., impressed WEDGWOOD, and other marks.=; Designer: Augustus Ludwig Jansson; Country of Origin: England; Size: 10.25" D; Issued: 1909

Normal age-related wear