Hab.t de la Suisse, from the playing cards (for quartets) "Costumes des Peuples Étrangers" 18th century

This is a playing card, “Hab.t de la Suisse”, made anonymously for the "Costumes des Peuples Étrangers" quartet. It's a small object, made from paper and ink, but it opens onto a much wider world of labor and trade. The printmaking process itself involves skilled work to create the matrix, before being printed and hand-colored. Look closely and you can see the effort involved in creating the figures, the barrel, and even the suggestion of texture in their clothing. This labor contrasts directly with the scene depicted: a man leaning casually on a barrel, and a woman holding a basket. The barrel suggests the wine trade, a major industry, while their clothing evokes a sense of regional identity. These cards were made as a consumer item, to be bought and enjoyed. But even this small token of leisure depended on a vast network of production, distribution, and cultural meaning. Understanding its materiality allows us to consider the card's place in a wider social and economic system.