Visiting Card Cases
Visiting card cases first appeared around 1820. They were made in a vast array of styles and materials for the following one hundred years. Although the card case generally takes the form of a rectangle with either straight edges or a shaped outline, it is the designs of the panels and the almost limitless variations which make card cases so appealing.
Card cases were not only manufactured in England. The Mauchline and Tartan ware cases were made in Scotland while Ireland produced the type known as Killarney. Sadeli and Vizagapatam were made in Indian. The Canton design was made in China while Japan produced the very ornate Shibayama and Takamaki-e cases. Italy, Russia and France also fashioned their own card cases.
The English manufactures were predominantly based in Birmingham and London. A Birmingham 1873 directory lists 38 pearl and tortoiseshell and ivory workers. A great number of these would have been working on visiting card cases to meet the demand. A variety of materials were used to create theses elaborate cases. These include tortoiseshell, ivory, horn, leather, shagreen, silver, papier mache, wood and bone. Many types of Mother of Pearl were also used including green snail, awabi, and abalone. Many card cases were made using intricate combinations of several materials.
Many examples of the card cases mentioned can be seen in our Card Case section on this site.
