Cries Of London Playing Cards
December 13, 2013
The latest addition to my collection, these Cries Of London Playing Cards were sent through the mail by one of the readers. Dating from the end of the nineteenth century, the object of the game was to collect all the words that make up each of the traders’ cries, which would have been familiar to original players, and those sets with the longest cry had the greatest value. Judging from the worn corners of these cards, they have given plenty of amusement over the years.
You may like to look at these other Cries of London Cards
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Lovely to see these and be reminded of the characters we used to see around or knocking on the door when we were growing up in the 60’s in Worcestershire. Not just London! We also had regular tramps who walked from village to village and my mother used to give them a meal. And sometimes gypsies with real bunches of heather or pegs to sell. The knife grinder and the pot mender were regular and very useful.
“dust ahoy” and “catch ’em alive, oh!” puts a completely different complexion on jack sparrow and fly paper. lovely! did not know that ahoy could be used when on dry land, or that shell strips existed back then!
I lived in Savernake Rd, Gospel Oak, in the winter of 1977 – 1978, and a man with a cart and horse drove by, calling out for something. That kind of thing ended here in the USA long before that, so it was a bit of a thrill to hear and see him.
There was a legally blind man in Wickford, Rhode Island 25 years ago, whose pony carted him and his lawn-mower around town to do the lawns. He couldn’t drive a car, but his pony knew where to go!
I notice that the adults pictured on these cards all have shoes and decent clothing, while the children are in rags and bare feet. Sad times for poor children.