C.L. Wüst was a German playing card manufacturer that was founded by Conrad Ludwig Wüst in 1819 and was active until 1927.
History
Conrad Wüst was born around 1783. In 1811, he was granted a licence to start up a cardmaking business in the German city of
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
that was to last over a century. Initially the company made card products for numerous purposes, but over time the manufacture of playing cards became dominant and Wüst used his connexions with the theatre scene in Frankfurt to create cards incorporating images of well-known actors and actresses which further boosted sales.
[''C.L. Wüst, 1811 - 1927'']
at wopc.co.uk. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
Conrad Wüst capitalised on new technology by upgrading his works with a steam-powered
printing press
A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in wh ...
to increase the rate of production, by the use of
lithography
Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...
and by taking advantage of new gas street lighting to extend working hours.
[
Wüst died in 1843 and his son, Caspar Ludwig, took over the business. His works were displayed at the 1851 ]Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary The Crystal Palace, structure in which it was held), was an International Exhib ...
at Crystal Palace, England[''Official Catalogue of the Great Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations.'' (1851), London: Spicer, p. 138.] and the 1854 Paris Exposition. By this time he was by exporting to the Netherlands, the Rhineland, Switzerland, Hamburg and Bavaria.[
The popular ]Baden
Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine.
History
The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden is ...
ese tarot game
Tarot games are card games played with tarot decks, that is, decks with numbered permanent trumps parallel to the suit cards. The games and decks which English-speakers call by the French name Tarot are called Tarocchi in the original Italian, ...
of Cego gave Caspar Wüst the opportunity to design a new pack of cards with scenes illustrating the "sharp divide between rich and poor". This was the progenitor of the Bourgeois Tarot pattern of tarot cards that is still produced in derivative forms today, not just for Cego but also for France's national game of French Tarot. To meet the demand for the hugely popular game of Skat, Wüst also introduced the first double-ended card pack split diagonally, a pattern which became a house standard.[
Wüst continued to expand worldwide during the late nineteenth century capturing markets in South America, China and India. The company stayed in the hands of the family, continuing to prosper, until the economic decline of the post war years made it unprofitable to continue. In 1927, the company was absorbed into Altenburger VSS in 1927, the factory in Frankfurt was shut down and all rights transferred to VSS.][
The cardmakers were based at Friedrichstrasse 91 in the city of Frankfurt.
]
References
{{Reflist
External links
''C.L. Wüst''
- gallery of stamps illustrating some of Wüst's products.
''Wüst “Encyclopedic Tarot”''
Playing card manufacturers
Companies based in Frankfurt
1811 establishments in Germany