Eight of Swords 1751

This is "Eight of Swords" printed by Claude Burdel in the 1700s, using paper, ink, and likely a woodblock printing technique. Consider the materiality of this card. The thin paper stock speaks to its intended use: to be shuffled, dealt, and handled repeatedly. Its small size makes it portable, and the printed design allows for mass production and distribution. The image itself, rendered with simple lines and flat colors, is suggestive. Swords, symbols of conflict or decision, surround a central woven pattern. The printing process, with its inherent limitations, lends a graphic quality to the design. The textures and colors would have been chosen for impact and legibility rather than nuanced realism. This card, like others in the deck, would have been printed efficiently, perhaps with some division of labor involved. We should remember that even seemingly simple objects like these reflect the broader economic forces of their time.