Antique B Dondorf Petit Lenormand Fortune Telling Cards c1910 34 of 36 Booklet.
Item Specifics:
Publisher: B. Dondorf
Type: Fortune Telling / Cartomancy Cards
Deck: Petit Lenormand / Wahrsage Karten
Era: Antique
Date: Circa 1890–1911
Country of Manufacture: Germany
Language: French cards with English instruction booklet
Number of Cards: 34 of 36 complete cards present
Missing Card: No. 19
Severely Damaged Card: No. 14 Fox
Material: Printed card stock
Printing: Chromolithography
Card Back: Ornamental B D monogram design
Booklet: Original period instruction booklet included
Description:
Exceptional antique B. Dondorf Petit Lenormand fortune-telling card set dating to approximately 1890–1911. Produced by the renowned B. Dondorf playing-card company of Frankfurt, Germany, this beautifully illustrated cartomancy deck represents an early and highly collectible form of the traditional 36-card Lenormand system.
The cards feature finely printed chromolithographic illustrations accompanied by French fortune-telling verses. The imagery includes the Rider, Clover, Ship, House, Tree, Clouds, Snake, Bouquet, Scythe, Birds, Child, Bear, Stars, Heart, Ring, Book, Letter, Gentleman, Lady, Key, Cross and other familiar symbols associated with traditional Petit Lenormand divination. Each card is numbered and carries the circular Dondorf Francfort printer’s mark.
The reverse of the cards features an elaborate ornamental design centered by intertwined “B D” initials. The distinctive period back design, French-language verses and Dondorf Francfort markings give the set a strong early European character and make it particularly appealing to collectors of antique playing cards and cartomancy material.
Also included is the original period instruction booklet titled “Explication du Jeu de Cartes de la Célèbre Devineresse Mlle Lenormand de Paris.” Inside is an English-language section headed “Instruction Fortune-Telling from the Cards of Mlle. Lenormand,” explaining the card meanings and methods of laying out the deck. The survival of the instruction booklet with the cards adds considerably to the historical interest of the set.
There are 34 complete cards present from the original 36-card deck. Card No. 19 is missing. Card No. 14, depicting the Fox, is present only as a severely damaged partial card with substantial loss from a large irregular tear through the lower and central portion. Because No. 14 is not substantially intact, this set is accurately being described as 34 of 36 complete cards rather than 35 of 36.
The surviving complete cards retain beautifully detailed imagery and attractive muted period coloring. They show genuine signs of considerable age including edge and corner wear, toning, darkening, scattered marks and varying degrees of surface wear. Some cards show softened corners and heavier wear than others, while the majority remain visually strong with their illustrations, numbers and French text clearly legible.
The instruction booklet is heavily worn and fragile, with substantial toning, creasing, edge wear, tears and looseness to the binding and pages. Despite the wear, the printed material remains substantially present and readable.
This is an original antique B. Dondorf Lenormand set rather than a modern reproduction. Dondorf was highly regarded for the quality of its lithographic playing cards, and the detailed landscapes, figures, animals, flowers and symbolic objects throughout this deck are excellent examples of the company’s period printing.
Although incomplete, the combination of 34 complete cards, the partial No. 14 Fox card, the original B D patterned backs, French fortune-telling text and accompanying English instruction booklet makes this a compelling surviving piece of cartomancy history and an appealing addition to a collection of antique playing cards, fortune telling, divination, occult history or B. Dondorf material.