How Did The Face Cards In A Deck Of Cards Evolve?

There was a card craftsman who, as a French military commander, battled alongside Joan of Arc. His name was Etienne de Vignolles, known as La Hire. The courage and heroism of the legendary maid of Orleans so impressed him he removed the knight from a deck of cards and replaced it with a dame. Decorating cards with religious motifs or those depicting humans did not raise the wrath of the Catholic church. The king of spades was designed after King David including his sword and quiver. Charles the Great became the king of clubs, Julius Caesar the king of diamonds, and Alexander the Great was symbolized by the king of hearts. These four members of the monarchy came together to represent the four springboards of western civilization.

Today’s Queens and Jacks did not follow such a consistent path. The queen of spades represented the goddess Athena, which could also have been a representation of that kindred warrior, Joan of Arc. Rachel depicted the queen of diamonds whose husband, Jacob, waited around for 14 years to marry her. Somewhat disturbingly, the queen of hearts represented Judith, who quite unromantically cut off the head of Holofernes. The queen of clubs did not follow this same pattern. She represented a collection of images that formed Argine, an abstract favorite of kings, whose name appears to be an anagram of “regina” (queen). This also could be a possible reference again to Joan of Arc, as Charles the Great, the French Catholic major domo, was the king of clubs.