From 1982 to 1992, the Spielbrett games store in Basel invited an artist or group of artists to design cards for the Basel carnival each year. Over the years, this resulted in a magnificent kaleidoscope of depictions of the Basel carnival from different perspectives.
Basel 1982 (Alfred "Agi" Robert Sager)
Agi Sager, *1944 in Basel, is a freelance graphic artist. After attending the School of Applied Arts, he continued his education at the Visual Art School. He created watercolor and acrylic paintings, linocuts and woodcuts, as well as wood and steel sculptures, which he presented in various solo and group exhibitions.
All cards show drawings in the style of ink scribbles. The picture cards are colored in like watercolors.
The jacks show drummers, the ladies show female fife players, and the kings show drum majors marching in various costumes. On each ace, the suit symbol is sketched as a large lantern.
The joker cards feature Ueli, another typical Basel carnival figure, probably derived from the medieval court jester with a jester's cap and two-colored costume with bells.
On the backs, rows of Basel sticks are drawn upside down and upright, as if the artist had absentmindedly scribbled something away.
Basel 1983 (Fredy Prack and René Beuret)
In 1983, the Basel carnival cards were designed by the two artists Fredy Prack and René Beuret.
- Fredy Prack is a graphic artist and committed carnivalist. He designs pictures, plaques and theater backdrops on the theme of carnival, illustrates books and is one of the most renowned lantern artists in Basel.
- René Beuret, *1936 in Basel, originally a graphic artist, has been painting, among other things, naturalistic pictures of historical aircraft since 1993.
On the aces, a large, central color symbol is surrounded by Räppli (confetti) of the same color. The number cards show the color symbols scattered like confetti. The theme of confetti is also taken up on the back of the cards, but there without colors. Given the importance of the Räppli in the corteges (parades) of the Basel carnival.
The jokers are designed in the same style as the picture cards. They show a Ueli. A similar figure appears on the joker card from various manufacturers, regardless of the carnival.
Basel 1984 (Robert Hiltbrand)
In 1984, the Basel carnival cards were designed by Robert Hiltbrand.
Robert Hiltbrand, *1929, + 2003, was a well-known Basel graphic designer and artist. He was a member of the legendary Kuttlebutzer carnival clique with Jean Tinguely and others. In addition to his work as an illustrator, he mainly designed posters, including for special exhibitions in museums.
The picture cards show very colorful, modern depictions of masked figures. A drum major and three drummers act as kings, the ladies play as fifes and the boys wear junte horses.
The back of the cards is decorated with a black Basel staff. Its proportions and specially designed lower end make it look like a mask.
The game comes with an accompanying sheet with explanations of the artist's ideas:
Code: Select all
Robert Hiltbrand, the designer of the 1984 Basel carnival cards, has hidden statements in the card images or translated the Basel carnivalists' vocabulary into figures that are hard for non-Basel people to guess. So, as a little help, here are a few brief explanations.
King of Hearts: Drum major who strides in front of each group of drummers as dignified as a peacock, only not as light-footed.
Shovel King: The drum king who is chosen every year in a special competition before the carnival.
Corner King: A drum dog, as the particularly greedy sooty people are called.
Cross King: A button player whose technical and rhythmic drumming skills leave much to be desired.
The ladies represent piccolo pipers whose costumes vary the suit symbols.
The farmers are lead trotters and are in Junten horses. They are the place-makers at the carnival and walk at the head of the procession.
The jokers are fools in Ueli costumes, as they appear at the Vogel Gryff (a Kleinbasel custom) and at carnival time. They stand on their heads as a symbol of the upside-down world, the world under the fool's cap.
One time the citizen sits on his bottom as the embodiment of the gentleman who can't do anything with the fools, who believes that his perfect world cannot endure the carnival season. Ueli only has the cot ready for him.
On the second Ueli stands his girlfriend, his wife. His thoughts revolve around her all year round; The symbol on the stick is the same.
On the third joker is the Bajazzo, clown, jester - his best friend. That is why he is showing the fool's stick. 
Basel 1985 (Gaston von Felten and Erwin Däppen)
In 1985, the Basel carnival cards were designed by the two artists Gaston von Felten and Erwin Däppen.
- Gaston von Felten, *1932, +1987 was a graphic artist and later a painter. He designed lanterns for various cliques and painted pictures on the themes of carnival and landscape.
- Erwin Däppen is a graphic designer in Basel. Among other things, he designed the Basel carnival plaque in 1982.
The jokers have dark birds wearing bells. The backs have a purple diamond pattern that is reminiscent of a Blätzli-Bajass
Basel 1986 (Dominik Heitz)
In 1986, the Basel carnival cards were designed by Dominik Heitz.
The cards show German-Swiss colors in pastel shades on a marbled background. Each card color is dominated by one color in both the foreground drawings and the background.
On the picture cards, playful, almost fairy-tale-like figures appear as kings, queens and jacks. The tens are, as is usual with German-Swiss colors, decorated with beautifully designed banners. All cards have 2 value and 2 color indices and the card name written in black and white in a bar.
These card names also appear on the backs.
The joker is a figure with a Venetian stick mask, tricorn hat and cape. Here, too, the background is marbled.
Basel 1987 (Marianne Pomeroy)
In 1987, the Basel carnival cards were designed by Marianne Pomeroy.
Unfortunately, no information is known about the artist. It seems to be a one-time artist name.
The red colors, hearts and diamonds, are shown on a black background, the black colors, spades and clubs, on a light gray background. Perhaps the artist is showing two sides of the Basel carnival. On the one hand, the Morgestraich with the figures that move through the night, illuminated by lanterns, and on the other hand, the Cortège with the figures in broad daylight.
The number cards also appear as a procession, with the color symbols arranged like a band across the card.
The joker cards, also day and night, reveal another element of the Basel carnival. The fool holds pieces of paper in his hand and thus probably represents the Schnitzelbängg.
Two Basel sticks are mirrored on the backs.
Basel 1988 (Hanns Studer)
In 1988, the Basel carnival cards were designed by Hanns Studer.
Hanns Studer, *1920, +2018, was a well-known Basel painter, illustrator, glass artist and drawing teacher.
The picture cards show woodcut-like images with two colors each. In certain places, a third color is created by superimposing them. The heads and especially the headgear of the queens and kings each take on the symbol of the card color, like transformation cards. The jacks have round masks with hooked noses and a ring of hair like sunbeams.
The number cards have stamp-like color symbols. The arrangement is such that a stamped symbol is added as the value increases.
On the joker cards, a Ueli, a fool in a bell costume, can be seen in black and gray.
On the backs, double-faced masks are shown in gray on white or white on gray.
Basel 1989 (Karin Schaub)
The 1989 Basel carnival cards were designed by Karin Schaub.
Karin Schaub, born in Canada in 1928, is a well-known Basel painter, illustrator and graphic artist.
Brightly colored, almost intoxicating drawings adorn the picture cards. Masks are depicted on the kings and queens, while drummers, fifers, lantern bearers and flower throwers march on the jacks.
The aces and number cards, in comparison, appear almost conventional and well-behaved. The Ueli on the joker cards is holding a piece of paper like the ones handed out at the Schnitzelbänken. He is also very colorfully drawn.
On the backs, four Basler sticks are craning their heads together.
Basel 1990 (Fifo Stricker and Mathias Zweifel)
In 1990, the Basel carnival cards were designed by the two artists Fifo Stricker and Mathias Zweifel.
- Fifo Stricker, *1952, is a graphic artist, painter and sculptor. He is committed to environmental issues in Brazil and Africa.
- Mathias Zweifel is a graphic designer in Basel.
While one color predominates for each card color, the colors are also randomly distributed on the joker cards.
In contrast to this, the backs, which are often colorful or even designed with advertising, are kept in plain black in this game.
Basel 1991 (Andreas His)
Andreas His designed the Basel carnival cards in 1991.
His, *1928 in Basel, +2011 in Witterswil; was an artist and teacher of illustration, material studies, nature studies and memory drawing at the trade school.
The number cards show stenciled color symbols in chalk.
The picture cards also show chalk drawings. Hearts are dedicated to drawing, spades to making music. Culinary delights are depicted on diamonds and fairground figures on clubs.
The jokers show a Blätzli-Bajass in various poses.
On the back, a gray and white striped pattern is broken up in the middle by 7 concentric rings in which the striped pattern is twisted clockwise.
Basel 1992 (Robine Clignet and Klaus Baumgartner)
In 1992, the Basel carnival cards were designed by the artist couple Robine Clignett and Klaus Baumgärtner.
- Robine Clignett, *1948 in The Hague, is a painter and graphic artist. She is committed to environmental issues in Brazil and Africa.
- Klaus Baumgärtner *1948 Heidelberg +2013 Roche, was a painter and professor for painting, graphic and textile design at the Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten in The Hague.
- Heart Party Wear
- Spade Headgear
- Checkered Shoes
- Cross Gloves
On the Joker cards, a colorful checkered sweater is formed from colored squares.
On the backs, parallel needle- or spear-like elements form a round picture.
Sources:
https://www.wopc.co.uk/switzerland/basl ... chtskarten
https://www.karten-haus.ch/Grafik/KartenBasel.htm (More images of the number cards can be found here).
@playingcardophile
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Knew I should've downloaded them!