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

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

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 whi ...

to increase the rate of production, by the use of

lithography Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, 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 ...

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 structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition that took ...

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 southern Germany. In earlier times it was considered to be on both sides of the Upper Rhine, but since the Napoleonic Wars, it has been considered only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Ba ...

ese

tarot game Tarot games are card games played with tarot packs designed for card play and which have a permanent trump suit alongside the usual four card suits. The games and packs which English-speakers call by the French name tarot are called tarocchi ...

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 The Bourgeois Tarot deck is a mid-19th century pattern of tarot playing card, cards of German origin that is used for playing card games in western Europe and Canada. It is not designed for divination, divinatory purposes.

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 The game of French Tarot is a trick-taking strategy tarot card game played by three to five players using a traditional 78-card tarot deck. The game is played in France and also in French-speaking Canada. It should not be confused with French ...

. 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.

References

External links

''C.L. Wüst''
- gallery of stamps illustrating some of Wüst's products.
''Wüst “Encyclopedic Tarot”''
{{Playing cards Playing card manufacturers manufacturing companies based in Frankfurt Manufacturing companies established in 1811 1811 establishments in the Confederation of the Rhine